By Admin 
Devdutt Padikkal, who hammered an unbeaten 46-ball 102 in Karnataka’s 145-run win over Tamil Nadu in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Elite Group-D fourth-round clash here on Tuesday, said he felt the need for him to step up and contribute to the team’s win.
“We hadn’t played good enough cricket in this tournament so far. So, it was important that some of us stepped up and helped the team win. Whenever I have played in this ground (Narendra Modi Stadium B-Ground), it’s always been a high-scoring game. It’s a red-soil wicket. So, it always has that extra bounce, and it’s suitable for T20 cricket. I really enjoyed (batting on) it,” he said.
Having been part of the India Test squad for the recent two-match series against South Africa, Padikkal returned to play for Karnataka only in the second round.
Talking about his preparation for this T20 season, the 25-year-old said: “After the IPL, there were things that I wanted to work on and things that I had in mind to really try and add to my game coming into the Mushtaq Ali (Trophy). But obviously, there wasn’t much time to practise it on the ground. At the same time, mentally, I have been trying to figure out certain things and trying to understand what I can do better from last season. So, that’s why, coming into the white-ball format, I knew there were certain plans that I wanted to execute, and I’m happy that I did it today.
“I had a good start to the last IPL, and I wanted to continue that momentum and try and gather those thoughts back again. Because, it’s easy to forget it and move on. It’s important that I took that momentum and form from the IPL to the Mushtaq Ali (Trophy) as well.”