India’s main cricket governing body, BCCI, has added Karnataka player Devdutt Padikkal to the Indian team for the third Test match against England. This match will start at Rajkot’s Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Thursday, February 15. Devdutt Padikkal takes KL Rahul’s spot, who won’t be playing in this match.
Rahul had to skip the second Test in Visakhapatnam due to right quadriceps discomfort. Even though initially selected for England’s final three Tests, his participation depended on a medical green light from BCCI’s team of doctors.
On February 12, Monday, the BCCI declared that KL Rahul couldn’t play the Rajkot Test. He hadn’t healed entirely from his quadriceps wound. The Indian cricket board made this update public.
“Rahul has reached 90 per cent of match fitness and is progressing well under the supervision of the BCCI Medical Team. He will continue his recovery process at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru to be completely match-fit for the fourth and fifth Test.”
While Rahul has been replaced by another Karnataka batter, Devdutt Padikkal, we look at three reasons why the choice appears to be incorrect.
1. Devdutt Padikkal gets Test call-up despite modest first-class record
While Devdutt Padikkal’s potential is undeniable, his selection for the Test team seemed a little premature. Yes, the 23-year-old really shone in the current domestic season. The left-hander has hit hundreds against Punjab, Goa, and, most recently, Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy 2024.
Of course, the fact that Ajit Agarkar, chairman of selectors, witnessed the batter’s century against Tamil Nadu in Chennai during the Ranji Trophy aided his argument. Devdutt Padikkal also delivered great outings for India A against the England Lions, scoring 105, 65, and 21.
It’s apparent that this novice athlete’s premier cricket score is nothing exceptional. He’s chalked up 2,227 runs in 31 games, sporting an average of 44.54. He hit a century six times and fifty 12 times. Good stats, sure. But, does that make him ready for Test matches?
Remember, Sarfaraz Khan has just recently got his first Test call-up, after averaging 69.85 in 45 first-class matches. Yashasvi Jaiswal kicked off his first-class career on a high note. In 21 matches, he has 2,482 runs at an average of 73, including 11 hundreds.
In comparison, Padikkal was picked based on a tiny sample size of remarkable results. He has a far better record in List A cricket. In 30 matches, the southpaw has scored 1,875 runs at an impressive average of 81.52, including eight hundreds and 11 fifties.
2. India’s batting is already short on experience
Devdutt Padikkal’s selection is unusual given that India already has a fairly inexperienced batting lineup due to player injuries and other factors. Virat Kohli has withdrawn from the remaining three Tests for to personal concerns, after his absence in the first two. Rahul, of course, has been ruled out of the third Test and will be replaced by Padikkal.
In terms of other members of the Indian batting lineup, skipper Rohit Sharma has played 56 Tests and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has played 39. There isn’t much else in terms of experience. Jaiswal has six Test appearances, Shubman Gill 22, KS Bharat seven, and Rajat Patidar one, while Sarfaraz Khan has yet to make his Test debut.
3. Like Gill, India could have backed Shreyas Iyer as well
Given the paucity of experience in the batting lineup, one wonders if the selectors might have supported Shreyas Iyer for one more Test. The fact that he has struggled in red-ball cricket is undeniable. But so was Gill, who scored a century in the last match against England in Visakhapatnam.
Iyer has not made a half-century in Test cricket since December 2022. He has appeared out of sorts during the last year. However, the 29-year-old does have experience, having played 14 Test matches. Furthermore, the superb run out he executed on Ben Stokes in the second Test would have strengthened his confidence. Could India have remained with him a little longer?