Credit: X
Karnataka batter Devdutt Padikkal is set to make his red-ball debut against England in the final Test of the five-match series. Padikkal has been one of the most exciting young talents in Indian cricket with his exploits in the Indian Premier League for teams like the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals.
The 23-year-old has also been in scintilating form in first-class cricket with a 90+ average in the 2024 season. Devdutt Padikkal was drafted into the Indian squad for the England series after KL Rahul was deemed unfit after the second Test. Since then media reports have revealed that Rahul has travelled to London to consult an expert about his quadriceps injury.
Coming back to the Indian team, Rohit Sharma's men have been without crucial members like Rahul and Virat Kohli which made way for Madhya Pradesh star Rajat Patidar. But the much-touted batter has failed to deliver with a tally of 63 runs in six innings. Hence, Padikkal is set to replace the Royal Challengers Bangalore batter as per Hindustan Times.
Management wants to have a look at Padikkal: BCCI Source
The report by HT quoted a BCCI source that revealed the team management wants to look at the Karnataka star ahead of the IPL. The source stated, "Padikkal will make his debut in Dharamsala. Rahul is unlikely to be available and the team management wants to have a look at Padikkal as it is the last international fixture before the IPL."
Padikkal was drafted into the squad before the third Test after the 23-year-old left-hander scored 2227 runs in 31 first-class appearances at an average of 44.54 with six centuries and 12 half-centuries. Talking about the 2024 season, Padikkal scored 556 runs at an average of 92.66 in four matches. He has also smashed three centuries in the six innings he has played, getting a three-figure score every time he crossed 50.
(Read Latest Cricket News and Breaking News of Cricket at SportsTiger . Also browse Cricket Live Score and Today Cricket Match)
