Opening batsman Devdutt Padikkal has done enough to merit an IPL debut, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) head coach Simon Katich stated in a virtual conference from Dubai on Wednesday.
The elegant southpaw was in fine form in the 2019-20 domestic season, finishing as the highest run-scorer in both the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy and Vijay Hazare 50-over tournament.
The 20-year-old, one of two local lads in the RCB squad alongside Pawan Deshpande, was also Karnataka’s highest run-scorer in the Ranji Trophy.
Katich and RCB’s director of cricket operations Mike Hesson — both of whom attended the virtual conference — will oversee RCB’s first training session in the bio-secure environment at Dubai on Thursday, at the conclusion of the mandatory six-day quarantine. Excerpts:
Simon Katich
Form player Padikkal: We’ve been watching Padikkal a lot. Mike (Hesson) saw him closely at the KPL (Karnataka Premier League) before we made decisions on retention. He dominated in the 50-overs format (Vijay Hazare Trophy), did very well in the Syed Mushtaq Ali, and then followed that up in the Ranji Trophy.
The fact that he’s a left-hander helps as well — we do like to have right-left combinations. He’s done everything he can to put his hand up to make his IPL debut this year. It’s now up to him to push his case forward. He’s got a bright future. We’re excited by what he can potentially do.
Impressive skipper and batsman Kohli: The thing that stood out about Kohli during our interactions is that he has that presence. Once you see him up close and in person, you realise how calm and measured he is in terms of his thoughts and his knowledge of this group.
He also has passion and energy for this group. There’s a real belief from Kohli that’s directed to this group and his backing of the local boys.
I think Kohli’s itching to go after such a long break. I don’t think having a crowd or not will make any difference to him, knowing how competitive and passionate he is about playing for RCB and IPL, and playing cricket in general.
Hesson
Providing entertainment: There are many people around the world who are really looking forward to watching cricket and have been denied the opportunity due to the pandemic. We can focus on putting on some entertainment. A large number of people in India are still in lockdown, we’re going to try and do what we do best and entertain.
