In the ongoing quarterfinals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25, Karnataka’s Devdutt Padikkal played an exceptional knock, scoring a brilliant century against Baroda at Moti Bagh Stadium in Vadodara. The match began with Baroda’s captain, Krunal Pandya, winning the toss and choosing to bowl first. Padikkal opened the innings for Karnataka alongside skipper Mayank Agarwal.
Early pressure mounted when Agarwal was dismissed cheaply for just six runs, but Devdutt Padikkal quickly found his rhythm. Partnering with Aneesh KV, Padikkal steadied the innings and together they put on a crucial 133-run partnership for the second wicket.
Aneesh contributed a solid 52 runs before being dismissed, but Padikkal continued his onslaught. He reached his century off just 96 balls, displaying excellent stroke play. Padikkal’s innings of 102 runs off 99 balls included 15 boundaries and two sixes, making it a memorable performance.
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This century marked Padikkal’s ninth List A hundred, and his career tally now stands at 1,977 runs with an impressive average of over 81. Despite having played only 31 innings in List A cricket, he has crossed the 50-run mark 20 times, showing remarkable consistency.
Devdutt Padikkal all boundaries today pic.twitter.com/kwv51cBNEE
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Though Padikkal’s recent appearance for India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth resulted in only 25 runs across two innings, this century will serve as a huge confidence booster for the young opener. With the IPL 2025 season around the corner, where he is set to play for Royal Challengers Bengaluru after being acquired for INR 2 crore, Padikkal will look to carry this form into the T20 league.
In another exciting quarterfinal, Punjab’s Arshdeep Singh was in sensational form with the ball in the preliminary quarterfinal against Maharashtra. He made an immediate impact, dismissing Maharashtra captain Ruturaj Gaikwad for just five runs in the first over with a brilliant delivery.
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Arshdeep continued his brilliance, removing Siddhesh Veer for a duck in his next over. Despite a strong fightback from Ankit Bawne and Arshin Kulkarni, who added 145 runs for the third wicket, Arshdeep got the breakthrough once again, dismissing Kulkarni for 107. He finished with figures of 3 for 56, playing a crucial role in Punjab’s strong performance.
