"Devdutt Padikkal reminds me of Yuvraj Singh"-Fans react after Padikkal's fine half-century in debut Test innings against England in Dharamshala
Team India batter Devdutt Padikkal received praise from fans after his impressive knock in his debut Test innings against England on Day 2 of the 5th Test in Dharamshala. His 65 (103) stabilized things for the hosts after they lost two quick wickets after the lunch session.
Padikkal showed good temperament on debut and tackled the reverse swing well with controlled aggression. He defended well and also pounced on the loose deliveries to get boundaries.
The Karnataka batter brought up his maiden Test half-century in style with a six and looked good for a big knock. However, he could not do that as he fell in the 93rd over after Shoaib Bashir cleaned him up with a decent delivery.
Fans were impressed with Devdutt Padikkal's debut Test knock. They applauded him through their reactions on X and went on to opine that he has flare and elegance in his shots, similar to Yuvraj Singh.
Here are some of the top reactions:
India began the day with an overnight score of 135/1 in the morning session. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill smashed the English bowlers all around the park with some exquisite strokeplay and played through the first session without losing a wicket. The duo also notched up their centuries before lunch.
Ben Stokes and James Anderson brought England back into the match after lunch by dismissing both the centurions in successive overs. The English pace duo extracted reverse swing and caused trouble to the inexperienced Indian middle order batters Devdutt Padikkal and Sarfaraz Khan during this period.
"It was a bit challenging at the beginning"- Devdutt Padikkal on his 65-run knock against England in Dharamshala
Speaking to the broadcast team after stumps on Day 2, Devdutt Padikkal reflected on his debut Test innings and said:
"I just wanted to be ready if I get a chance. I got the message the previous day that there was a possibility that I could play. These opportunities are rare to come and I was ready and prepared for the challenge. I was a bit nervous while going in to bat, but I wanted to make sure that I used that energy positively."
He continued:
"It was a bit challenging at the beginning, but I wanted to put my head down and build a partnership with Sarfaraz. At the start, I was a bit tentative to get going, but once I got my eye in, it got much easier. There was a bit of reverse swing on offer when two quality bowlers like Anderson and Stokes were bowling. It was challenging, but I wanted to get used to the wicket."
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