Ranji Trophy semifinal | Padikkal rates his ton against Punjab higher than the double against Uttarakhand

Devdutt Padikkal cannot put a foot wrong. On his captaincy debut a fortnight ago, he scored a match-winning, fourth-innings century (120 n.o., 85b, 6×4, 5×6) versus Punjab to ensure Ranji Trophy knock-outs qualification for Karnataka.

On day two of the semifinal against Uttarakhand, he came up with an impressive double-century (232, 330b, 29×4, 3×6), his first in First Class cricket. “It’s the most runs I’ve scored in a Ranji game, but there have been a few innings which were in more difficult circumstances,” Padikkal told reporters on Monday.

“The Punjab one will always be special because of the situation we were in. So this will probably come in second.”

Though the Ekana Cricket Stadium pitch was batting-friendly, it was important for the 25-year-old not to be complacent.

“You have to keep reminding yourself that these opportunities don’t come that often. You play on a lot of challenging wickets during Ranji Trophy. So when you get a wicket that is suitable to bat, it’s important to cash in. I’m happy that everyone in the team was switched on.”

Padikkal stated that the chastening 217-run reverse to Madhya Pradesh in the penultimate group-stage game acted as a positive trigger. “We were top of the table coming into that game, but when you face a defeat like that at home, it can go both ways. You can let that deter you and not get back up. Or you can do what we did and answer the critics with our performance. And I’m glad that we’ve been able to do [the latter].”