Team India’s No.3 Test batter Devdutt Padikkal, who scored 62 runs for South Zone in the Duleep Trophy final in Chennai, was pleased with the opportunity as he spent some time in the middle despite his side ending on a losing note.
Notably, Padikkal, who was named Sai Sudharsan’s replacement, was named the Player of the Series for his phenomenal performance during India’s two-match Test tour of Sri Lanka in August 2026.
“It always feels great to get some runs. I think the purpose behind coming here was to try and help the South Zone win, but obviously that couldn’t happen. But personally I’m happy with the fact that I was able to get some time out there and hopefully I can continue that,” Padikkal told the select media.
With India next taking on New Zealand away from home in the Test series, Padikkal has revealed that his batting has undergone some important technical changes over the past few months.
“It’s a constant learning curve. There’s a lot of things that I’ve learnt throughout the season. I think more technically than mentally. There were a few changes that I needed to make to evolve as a batter in the last season or so,” he said.
“We’re playing in different conditions. Obviously, Sri Lanka and Chennai were quite similar. But moving forward, going to New Zealand as well, it’ll be interesting to see how I can adapt to different conditions,” he noted.
“It takes a lot of hard work to go through the domestic grind. There is a lot of high-quality cricket going on in the domestic circuit. I think it’s not always noticed, especially when you look at the Duleep Trophy, the amount of quality that is there,” he concluded.
