07 September,2026 09:51 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Devdutt Padikkal (Pic: File Pic)
Team India recently won a two-match Test series against Sri Lanka by 1-0. Team India's batsman Devdutt Padikkal was one of the standout performers for the visitors.
Speaking about his Test comeback, the left-handed batsman said that he was at the best stage of his career.
"Definitely, I was looking forward to it. Obviously, those opportunities don't come very easily. It takes a lot of hard work to make sure that you are continuing to improve yourself and waiting for that opportunity. I had to make sure that I was ready whenever I got it," said Padikkal on JioStar.
"The fact that I was told at the start of the series that I was going to be playing was really exciting, and I felt like, personally, I was at the best stage of my career in terms of the way I was batting, so I was really looking forward to it," he added.
Further speaking about batting at the number three position, the cricketer said that the position doesn't matter to him and he focuses on contributing to the side.
"At the end of the day, it's about going out there and batting. It doesn't matter what position I'm batting at; I'm trying to contribute to the side. Yes, obviously, there have been great players who have played at number three for India over the years, and I'm sure there'll be a lot more scrutiny on me and a lot more comparisons made. But at the end of the day, I'm going out there and just playing my cricket, and as long as I'm enjoying that, I think everything will fall into place," said the 26-year-old cricketer.
He then revealed having conversations with legendary Team India cricketer Rahul Dravid about spending more time at the crease.
"Obviously, I've had a lot of conversations with him over the years in terms of batting and what it takes to really spend long hours out there. Again, it comes back to preparation and understanding what you want to do. As long as you have that clarity in your head about what your plans are and what you want to go out there and do, regardless of the position you're batting at, it helps a lot. I think those are the conversations I've had with him," said the Kerala-born cricketer.
(With ANI Inputs)
