Karnataka’s Malayali star Devdutt Padikkal scores maiden first-class double ton

Devdutt Padikkal scored his first double hundred in first-class cricket to place Karnataka in a dominant position against Uttarakhand in the semifinal of the Ranji Trophy.

Karnataka were 689/6 at stumps on the second day in Lucknow, with Padikkal making 232 and Ravichandran Smaran unbeaten on 121.

Padikkal, captaining Karnataka, began the day at 148 and reached the double hundred in 288 balls. His innings comprised 29 fours and three sixes. His previous best in first-class cricket was 193.

Padikkal is one of the two Malayali stars in the Karnataka side, with Karun Nair being the other. Padikkal was born in Kerala, but the family shifted to Hyderabad and later to Bengaluru. His father is from Nilambur, and his mother from Edappal. Nair made 60, stitching a 129-run partnership with Padikkal for the third wicket.

On the first day, K L Rahul made 141 to set the foundation for Karnataka's massive first innings score. In the other semifinal at Kalyani, Jammu & Kashmir were 198/5, trailing Bengal by 328 at the end of the second day.