‘All the hard work I’ve put in has paid off’ – Devdutt Padikkal greatful for his maiden Test call-up

Two-time T20I player, Devdutt Padikkal has gotten his maiden Test call-up as KL Rahul has been ruled out of the third Test due to an injury. The match will be played later this week in Rajkot. Talking about Padikkal, he has been an in-form player with a few big scores in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024. Meanwhile, the Karnataka player seems to be grateful for the call-up.

During an interview with the Times Of India, the Lucknow Super Giants player in the IPL said that playing Tests was his dream. He was part of the India A side that played three unofficial Tests in South Africa early last month. At that point, the senior team also toured the Rainbow Nation for an all-format series.

“The call-up is yet to sink in. The Test team is always a dream, and this has come after a tough few years. I feel very proud that all the hard work I’ve put in has paid off. Can’t thank my family and well-wishers enough for sticking by me,” said Padikkal.

The biggest challenge was to get physically fit: Devdutt Padikkal

In 2022, an intestinal issue forced him to miss the Vijay Hazare Trophy (One Day tournament) and saw him struggle in the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy season. He said that the biggest challenge for him was to regain his fitness as he lost his muscles and weight.

“Returning from the illness was very tough. The biggest challenge was to get physically fit. I had lost 10 kilos and I had to eat right and concentrate on regaining muscle and strength. At this stage of my career every match counts and here I was missing a lot of games,” said Padikkal.

“It was disturbing because there was a lot of competition. While it was challenging, I had to stay focused on doing well when I returned. I worked really hard. I began the season with the determination of winning as many matches as possible for Karnataka,” he added.