LSG batter had no idea he would earn maiden Test call-up after smashing 151 in front of chief SELECTOR

Padikkal has now earned his Test call-up after KL Rahul got ruled out for the third Test in Rajkot against England.

LSG batter had no idea he would earn maiden Test call-up after smashing 151 in front of chief SELECTOR

Devdutt Padikkal (Image via ESPNcricinfo)

A couple of days ago, Karnataka played their Elite Group C Ranji Trophy match against Tamil Nadu in Chennai. Devdutt Padikkal, who played for Karnataka, had no idea that his century would earn him his maiden Test call-up.

Chair of selectors Ajit Agarkar was in the stands taking note of the game where Padikkal smashed 151 off 218 balls with 12 fours and six maximums. His knock took Karnataka to 366.

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Padikkal has now earned his Test call-up after KL Rahul got ruled out for the third Test in Rajkot against England. After the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad, they mentioned that Rahul’s inclusion in the playing XI would depend on his fitness.

Whether Padikkal would earn a place in the playing XI is uncertain. Virat Kohli won’t be playing the rest of the three Tests (due to personal reasons), Shreyas Iyer (dropped), and with Rahul’s fitness issues, Sarfaraz Khan and Rajat Patidar are likely to fill the spots in the middle-order.

Devdutt Padikkal’s performance in domestic matches

Though Devdutt Padikkal hasn’t played Test matches, he made his debut in international cricket back in 2021 against Sri Lanka, and he ended up playing only two T20Is since then.

Devdutt Padikkal
Devdutt Padikkal (Image via ESPNcricinfo)

The 23-year-old has been enjoying good form in the Ranji Trophy because he has already scored three centuries in four games. In the India A game as well, Padikkal scored 105, 65, and 21 runs against the England Lions.

In the Indian Premier League (IPL), Rajasthan Royals (RR) traded the 23-year-old to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for Avesh Khan ahead of the 2024 season. In the 2023 IPL, he scored 261 runs from 11 matches at a strike rate of 130.50.

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