A New No. 3 for India? Devdutt Padikkal Knocking Hard on the Test Door

In today's cricket scenario, T20 format is ruling the world of cricket where it feels like Test cricket has been losing its essence, where many steps are being taken by the ICC in promoting test cricket like introduction of the World Test Championship as well as by the BCCI in form of improving Ranji Trophy.

As the T20 World Cup is underway, the Indian domestic cricket is left unnoticed as the Ranji Trophy is in its last stage where semi-finals are being played. There are many standout performers from this edition of the Ranji Trophy like Auqib Nabi, Ayush Doseja, Mayank Mishra, and many more but one name is never missed whenever domestic cricket is the topic, Devdutt Padikkal, who could be the best choice for India No. 3 batsman.

Devdutt Padikkal Domestic Record That Demands Attention

Devdutt Padikkal has been exceptional in red ball cricket with the amount of runs he scores in the longest format. In the ongoing semi-final of Ranji Trophy, Karnataka skipper Devdutt Padikkal has scored 232 runs helping the team to score 600+ runs in the first innings. This is not the first time Padikkal has scored crucial runs, he had scored 120 runs against Punjab in a do-or-die match showing hitting abilities

In his first-class career, he has scored 3384 runs in 52 matches scoring at an average of 40.77 which includes 8 centuries and 19 half-centuries. He has shown temperament in the middle orders giving stability to the team showing why he is one of the best batsman in India. Devdutt Padikkal domestic record has been tremendous and he has been knocking doors of the Indian Cricket Team for a very long time.

Is It Time for Selectors to Back Devdutt Padikkal?

The Indian cricket team will be playing it's next Test match while touring Sri Lanka in latter half of 2026. This would be the right time for Devdutt Padikkal's India Test squad selection considering his solid domestic record in red ball cricket and ability to play spin well. Devdutt Padikkal Test cricket career only involves couple of matches where the batter did fair job in the middle scoring 90 runs in 3 innings. However, there has been instability for India No. 3 batsman after Cheteshwar Pujara and the Karnataka batsman will be the perfect choice for filling the shoes of legendary batsman.