Ex-RCB Star Devdutt Padikkal Slams Career-Best 193 In Ranji Trophy Vs Punjab
Devdutt Padikkal registered his best score in first-class cricket [X.com]
Karnataka and Lucknow Super Giants’ batter Devdutt Padikkal was the star for Karnataka on Day 2 of the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024 match between Karnataka and Punjab at the KSCA Hubli Cricket Ground, Hubli. The left-handed batter hammered his third First-Class century.
Following an impressive run with the bat in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2023, Padikkal continued his excellent form in the Ranji Trophy. His innings of 193 runs was laced with 24 boundaries and four sixes. This was his career-best score in First-class cricket.
Notably, the majority of his boundaries were scored in the region between third-man and cover, showcasing his adept cutting and driving skills against pacers Arshdeep Singh, Baltej Singh, and Siddharth Kaul. Padikkal's contribution took Karnataka to a score of 344/4 before he was dismissed.
Padikkal took charge after skipper Mayank Agarwal departed for a duck, demonstrating a keen understanding of the situation.
His partnership with Ravikumar Samarth yielded 76 runs, and later, a crucial 234-run stand with the experienced Manish Pandey propelled Karnataka beyond the 340-run mark. His innings came to an end in the 76th over when he was dismissed by Prerit Dutta, caught by Baltej Singh.
Meanwhile, the new Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) recruit, Manish Pandey, also started the new year with a bang by scoring his 24th First-Class century, reaching the milestone in 142 balls.
With another impressive outing with the bat, Padikkal has surpassed 1,500 First-Class runs, currently standing at 1,673 runs in 26 matches with an average of over 36. Alongside three centuries, Padikkal has notched up 11 fifties in this format.
Making his First-Class debut in 2018, Padikkal has steadily become a mainstay for Karnataka in the top order.
His dominance in the domestic arena was evident in the 2023 Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he amassed 465 runs in just five matches at an impressive average of 155 and a strike rate of 120.46. During this tournament, he scored two centuries and three fifties, maintaining a record of 50-plus scores in all five games.
On the same day, speedster V. Koushik delivered a stellar performance, securing a career-best seven-wicket haul (7/41). Thanks to his heroics, Punjab were dismissed for 152 in the first innings. Currently, Manish Pandey and Srinivas Sharath are at the crease, steering Karnataka towards a big first-innings lead against Punjab in the ongoing Ranji Trophy encounter.
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