Devdutt Padikkal’s 152 (Source: @Saabir_Saabu01/x.com)
A life where everything comes easy may look perfect, but greatness is never born from comfort. In India, where cricket is a religion, fans witnessed some of the legendary stories of grit, determination, and excellence that inspired them.
Batters, bowlers, and even the wicketkeepers turned heads as fans marveled at their heroics, but the left-handed batters added some missing thrills to the game. After the magic of Yuvraj Singh, Sourav Ganguly, and Rishabh Pant, Indian cricket may have unearthed another left-handed gem, Karnataka’s Devdutt Padikkal.
With impressive strokeplay, elegant batting, and a sharp cricketing mind, he has impressed the world as the domestic circuit has produced some of his best knocks. After smashing two consecutive centuries, he fired up the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy stage, and for this youngster, brilliance is becoming a habit.
Back in 2021, when Karnataka locked horns with Odisha in a group-stage clash, Devdutt Padikkal delivered pure magic with a breathtaking 152, his best-ever List A knock at the time. Let’s take a sneak peak into that day in his career.
Devdutt Padikkal crafts a masterpiece with his magical 152
Some of the stars see the success early on and some have to wait a little longer to find the big stage. Early success is always exciting but managing fame is an art and only a few can be true artists. Karnataka’s Devdutt Padikkal is one of those rare artists, never letting early success cloud his focus and delivering brilliance whenever the stage demands it.
Across the formats in the domestic cricket, Padikkal crafted his own mastery but the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021 saw the absolute best of him. He was in an electrifying form but the cricket world was on a hold to see his best ever List A performance. That moment finally arrived when Karnataka faced Odisha in a high-stakes group-stage clash.
Winning the toss, Odisha opted to bat first and Devdutt Padikkal came to bat with captain Ravikumar Samarth and cricket world saw a show of brilliance. The decision may have backfired Odisha as the opening duo tore apart their bowling unit with their ruthless display.
After both crossed the 50-run mark, Karnataka faced the first setback after captain Samarth walked away scoring 60 runs. As Padikkal was on fire that day, he didn’t let the dismissal interrupt the rhythm. Partnering with Krishnamurthy Siddharth, he blasted a stunning century, leaving fans absolutely mesmerized.
The left-handed batter turned the 22 yards into his own playground as the Odisha bowlers were left traumatized in front of his fearless display. Channeling his inner fire, he cruised past the 150-run mark with effortless brilliance, making destiny his own.
Witnessing the firestorm, the world expected a double hundred and the batter may have thought the same but the momentum slipped away. In the 46th over, Suryakant Pradhan removed him and the magnificent innings ended in 152 runs in 140 balls with 14 boundaries and five sixes.
With that lion-hearted knock, Karnataka posted a massive total of 329 runs and ended up securing a 101-run victory. Since then, there was no lookback for the youngster as he only rose through the rank, making him the next generation star.
Slump hit his career, he struggled for runs but being a true match-winner, he defied all the odds and came back stronger. In the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, he’s smashing tons like rain, thrilling fans with every innings. As the tournament has just started, fans are waiting for more fireworks from him.
