Bengaluru: As Royal Challengers Bengaluru prepare to take on Delhi Capitals at their home ground, young batting talent Devdutt Padikkal shares a heartfelt glimpse into his life both on and off the field. From growing up as an RCB fan in the stands to now donning the red and gold once again, Padikkal opens up about his cricketing idols, emotional battles, health struggles, and the unmatched joy of making his Test debut for India. With quiet resilience and an undying passion for the game, he reflects on the challenges he’s faced, the lessons he’s learnt, and the dreams he still holds close — including the ultimate goal of lifting the IPL trophy with his beloved RCB.
On his role models growing up and the rich legacy of Karnataka Cricket
“I definitely loved watching Yuvraj Singh bat. I loved watching Gautam Gambhir bat. I loved watching Adam Gilchrist bat. Being from Karnataka cricket and playing Ranji Cricket I have admired Prasanna sir, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble and so on and so forth. You can name at least 30-40 cricketers coming out of Karnataka who have done great things for the country. So, I look up to all of them and each time we step onto the field as a Karnataka side, we are trying to live up to their standards.”
On Managing the Emotional Highs and Lows of Cricket
“I’ve never been overly outwardly emotional, I will say that. But internally, obviously, you go through a lot of emotions. As a cricketer in India, especially, you must battle with so many things that go on outside the cricket field more than what goes on the cricket field. So, emotions are definitely a part of it, but over the years, with experience, I’ve learned to handle it better.”
On Growing Up an RCB Fan
“I’ve been an RCB fan since I started watching IPL, to be honest. I still remember coming to the stands and watching the game. We used to have those filled-up balloons to cheer on the team. I still remember having those and smashing them together whenever the match was going on. I was really young. Obviously, I didn’t understand the game that much at that point, but I still understood that RCB meant something to everyone in the stadium, and I care a lot for this franchise, for this city, for this state.”
On Returning to RCB
“In IPL, at least, you need to learn to move on from things pretty quickly. Not just in terms of franchises but from game to game. It was very hard when I was let go at that time, and now that I’m back, it’s great to be back.”
On Fighting Back from Health Challenges
“In 2022, I think it was during the IPL that I started feeling like I had some issue with my gut. That’s when I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. It’s basically ulcers that you get in your intestinal tract. That happens due to any kind of bacteria that may have entered your body.”
“It was pretty challenging to be honest. I lost a lot of weight. I was fatigued all the time. I had reached a stage where I lost about 10-11 kgs within a couple of months, and then I had to take that call to stop playing cricket for the next 2-3 months. I didn’t play, and it’s a condition that I’ll have to deal with probably throughout my life. It’s something that won’t just go away.”
On making his Test Debut for India
“When you go to bed every night as a kid watching cricket, taking in Test Cricket and looking at it as something that you want to achieve, then to wake up one day and know that you are doing what you dreamt of every single day going to bed, that’s something that is so special to have, right? Playing Test Cricket has always been my ultimate goal, and to be able to do that the past year was something incredibly special.”
“I remember every single thing about the previous night, what happened on the day, and that moment of receiving that cap is something that I don’t think I will ever feel again—because that is such a special moment. It happens once in your life. I went back to my room on the day of the game where I got my cap and cried for the rest of the evening. It wasn’t out of sadness—it was about that fulfilment that you feel of all your dreams coming true. So, it was really good.”
On Preparing for the Season
“Coming into this season, I had a really good two months working on my game, trying to develop new shots and trying to explore aspects of my game that I have not had time to do before. I feel that is really important. As a cricketer in this day and age, you have to keep evolving. You have to find ways to improve your game every single season when you come into an IPL because every year the analytics get better, the bowlers are smarter, and they are finding ways to get you out. So, it is really important that you keep working.”
On Virat Kohli’s Mentorship
“Working with Virat, being around Virat is something that is really special. The third year when I was with RCB in the IPL, he was designated to be my mentor in the side, and that was something unreal. It was so weird to have one of the greats of the game be your mentor for two months. It was so fascinating. The things you could learn from him, just being around him the entire day is something that I will treasure and something I learnt a lot from.”
On transitioning between red and white ball cricket
“Moving from Red Ball Cricket to White Ball Cricket can be challenging. It is a part of the game that not many people realise how difficult it is, to be honest. As we all know, T20 cricket has changed a lot over the last couple of years. So, that has made it even more challenging in terms of shifting from Red Ball Cricket to T20 cricket. You grow up learning the fundamentals of the game in such a different manner when you are working on Red Ball Cricket. Now, those fundamentals of the game are pretty much completely opposite in T20 cricket. So, it is something that you have to learn with experience and age. So, that is what I am trying to do.”
On the changing landscape of the game
“IPL has become such a huge part of the cricketing ecosystem that lots of cricketers growing up—their primary aim has started to become IPL cricket, is what I feel. People now focus more on power hitting and those things that are really suitable for IPL cricket than Red Ball Cricket. I guess the natural course of time has taken it that way, but obviously, I hope that Red Ball Cricket still continues to flourish.”
On the Dream of Winning an IPL Title with RCB
“Obviously, winning an IPL trophy for RCB is a dream. Because as an RCB fan, I am sure every single RCB fan wants this franchise to have that trophy, and I am an RCB fan, and I feel the same. Every year, even if I am part of the IPL, there is always a soft spot for RCB, watching them and hoping that they succeed as well. So, if not my team, it was always that I would hope that RCB would win. Coming into RCB again, my only dream would be to win that trophy for RCB.”
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