Star India batter Devdutt Padikkal has said that he felt like he earned his Test spot during the home series against England earlier this year, after having played some very good knocks in domestic cricket. He also added that having scored a lot of runs gave him confidence before his maiden Test. Notably, Padikkal made his Test debut in the fifth and final match of the series against England in Dharamsala in March this year. He scored a steady 65 off 103 in the first innings as India beat the Englishmen by an innings and 64 runs as well.

Speaking to news agency PTI, he said, “To be honest, going into that game (against England), I felt ready. I felt like I had earned that spot. Obviously, I played a lot in domestic cricket that year and I got a lot of runs in the Ranji Trophy as well. So, once you have those runs behind you, you have that confidence. Even playing for India, it feels natural and that was the case for me. And obviously, getting that 50 (on Test debut) gave me some more confidence as well,” the left-handed batter added.

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However, the Karnataka batter had a great 2023-24 Ranji Trophy season, scoring 556 runs in four matches which came at an average of more than 93, with three tons. Speaking of his knock in his debut Test against England in Dharamsala, Devdutt Padikkal hit 10 fours and a six before being bowled by off-spinner Shoaib Bashir. However, Padikkal will play for Team D in the upcoming Duleep Trophy, which
starts from September 5.

“It’s important that I continue to improve. Obviously, Test cricket keeps challenging you. It’s a difficult format to play. So, I just have to keep focusing on things where I can improve. There’s a lot for me to learn. So, I’m continuing to work on things that I need to improve on,” Devdutt Padikkal concluded.