Padikkal sent a strong message to the national selectors before England ODIs as he slammed his fourth consecutive List A ton.
Karnataka rode on skipper Ravikumar Samarth's knock of 192 off 158 balls and a stroke-filled 101 by 20-year-old left-handed Padikkal (off 119 balls) to post an imposing 338/3 and then bundled out the opposition for 258.
Kerala's decision to put Karnataka into bat at the Air Force ground backfired badly, as Samarth and Padikkal toyed with their attack with a massive 249-run partnership for the first wicket. Samarth, a 28-year-old right-hander, hammered 22 boundaries and three sixes in his 158-ball knock. He completed his century in 112 balls and was aggressive right from the start, while Padikkal hammered 10 boundaries and two maximums.
It was a Samarth-Padikkal show as Karnataka were going strong at 196/0 after 35 overs having laid the foundation for a mammoth total. While Padikkal continued his fabulous show in the national ODI tournament and in the process scored his 4th consecutive List A century and became the first Indian to do so, Samarth surpassed veteran Wasim Jaffer's unbeaten 170 to register the highest score in a Vijay Hazare knock-out match.
