Indian wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul was on Monday ruled out of the IND vs ENG 3rd Test. Rahul missed the IND vs ENG 2nd Test with a quad injury and will not be recovering in time to feature in the third Test starting Thursday, February 15th. Karnataka batter Devdutt Padikkal has been called in as a replacement. Padikkal, who has done almost everything right in the past few months to deserve a call-up, will be joining the Indian team ahead of the third test. But who is he? Let’s find out everything about the batter.
The 23-year-old, who was recently traded to IPL side Lucknow Super Giants from Rajasthan Royals ahead of IPL 2024, has had his ups and downs in his brief career. The Karnataka batter hogged the limelight in 2020 as a 20-year-old after a breakout domestic season where he was the top run-getter in both white-ball tournaments.
He then went on to win the emerging-player award in his debut IPL season, racking up 473 runs. However an acute intestinal issue in 2022 thwarted his progress and he had to endure a torrid run of form in the past two years.
However, he been in blistering form this season. The batter has already scored three trophies in the Ranji Trophy this season. His latest came against a formidable Tamil Nadu side. His hardwork has not gone to waste, and that is evident from his maiden India call up.