Devdutt Padikkal has shone brightly on his Test debut. The southpaw got his chance in the IND vs ENG 5th Test in Dharamshala in place of Rajat Patidar who missed the game with an injury. Batting in his first innings, he went on to hammer a graceful fifty to showcase his mark in the team.
After impressive knocks for India A, Padikkal got his place in the team after KL Rahul’s injury. On the other hand, when Rajat Patidar missed the final Test, it was Padikkal who got his chance to play his first Test match for India. He took 83 balls to reach his fifty.
Stitching up a good partnership with Sarfaraz Khan, the duo set the pace of India’s innings after the quick dismissals of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill.
However, Padikkal stole the headlines despite the two hundreds by Gill and Rohit and Sarfaraz’s fifty. The southpaw continued to rotate the strikes and punishing the poor balls to march towards his maiden Test fifty. Taking no risks, Padikkal kept his shots on the ground, hitting 8 boundaries to reach his half century. However, he reached his fifty in style by slamming a stunning sixer.
India has been marred with injuries as the hosts went on to give 5 debuts in the IND vs ENG Test series. However, there were loads of positives. The batters shone brightly as did the bowlers who got their chance to play for the country. Devdutt Padikkal however has been no exception.