After the RCB’s win in their IPL 2026 match against the Gujarat Titans (GT), former India player turned commentator Aakash Chopra has applauded Devdutt Padikkal for scoring a quick half-century. He added that the RCB star isn’t a one-season wonder or a single-format player as well. However, Padikkal smashed a 27-ball 55 in the chase as well.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, ‘Aakash Chopra,’ he said, “He is underrated and undercelebrated. He was on 22 when Virat was on 45, and he reached his fifty first, and Virat had reached 48 or 49. He was the aggressor in that partnership. Virat said later, and I completely concur, that he doesn’t try to hit hard. There was no unconventional shot. He didn’t play any shots across the line. There was no shot that wasn’t pleasing on the eye, and he still runs at a strike rate of 200.”
“He is not a one-season wonder, and he is not just a T20 player. You will have to just clap if you see his last two years’ IPL numbers. Kohli and Phil Salt come before Devdutt Padikkal, and Rajat Patidar comes after him. Everyone gets praised, and they should be as well, and he remains hidden. We will do a slight injustice if we don’t celebrate Devdutt Padikkal,” he further added.
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However, Aakash Chopra also praised Virat Kohli for making the most of a dropped catch on the first ball he faced in RCB’s match against GT.
“Virat Kohli got a life on the first ball. What will he do if you give him a life? Then the lion enters the jungle. Once a lion enters a jungle, he will do what he has to do. The way he is accelerating, I think he has an average of 87 and a strike rate of 180-185 in the Powerplay in the last two years, and he doesn’t get out. He just keeps smashing,” he said.
“I am a little surprised he got out, or else he doesn’t get out. It’s necessary to keep the ego aside. He sees the big picture. If someone is running fast in a partnership, let him run. He does not have arrogance. The one who does not have arrogance is glorified. In run chases, he is a human computer,” he concluded.
