Blending impact, prolificity and consistency to an incredulous nicety Today Sports News

If it were humanly possible, Devdutt Padikkal would unblinkingly package the last two and a half weeks into tiny capsules that he can gorge on for the rest of his cricketing career. After all, it has been a bountiful phase, the very definition of a purple patch that sportspersons dream of but seldom experience.

In the said period, the sinewy left-hander from Karnataka has taken his game to a different level – stratospheric? – by marrying impact, prolificity and consistency to an incredulous nicety. Having made a steady start to the domestic season in the Ranji Trophy and in the 20-over Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy where he was one of the few bright spots in what was otherwise a miserable campaign for his team, Padikkal ramped it up a fair few notches in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy, smacking four centuries in five innings on his way to a country-high 640 runs at the conclusion of the league phase.

The 25-year-old knows that an average of 91.42 at a strike-rate of 102.56, extraordinary as they are, will count for little when his team runs into perennial domestic powerhouses Mumbai in the knockout quarterfinal on Monday morning in the city which is his home. The Centre of Excellence in the outskirts of Bengaluru doesn’t encourage spectators to partake of the entertainment, so in one way it is an anti-climactic homecoming for Padikkal. But domestic players, even those who have had a taste of international cricket, are accustomed to playing in front of the proverbial two people and their dog. While the entertainer in him will be somewhat disappointed at not having a ‘live’ audience, that is unlikely to play on his mind when he takes guard.

Semi-veteran

Padikkal is already a semi-veteran even though he has so much time on his side. He debuted for his State in First Class cricket when only 18, more than seven years back. It was a debut to remember; dismissed for seven in the first innings, he shepherded a successful if tricky chase of 184 with a flowing 77 in the second against Maharashtra in Mysuru in December 2018. Even at that nascent stage, it was obvious that he was a cut above most. One of the things experts look for in batters is the ‘time’ they have at their disposal; in a game of milli-seconds, Padikkal seemed to have at least a couple of extra seconds – if that makes any sense – on others, quickly sizing up length, seeing the ball early and playing it late, all hallmarks of a champion in the making.

If Padikkal doesn’t have more than four international caps, two each in the Test and 20-over formats, put that down to the depth in Indian cricket and the manic competition for places. On his unexpected Test debut against England in Dharamsala – he only played because his future captain at Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Rajat Patidar, injured his left ankle at practice a day before the game – in March 2024, Padikkal uncorked a fairly beautiful 65 on a surface with decent pace and good bounce, qualities that he feasts on.

Walking in at No. 4 with an imposing platform already set by Yashasvi Jaiswal and skipper Rohit Sharma – India were 275 for two in response to England’s 218 – Padikkal dominated the second half of the innings. Of the 128 runs scored when he was in the middle, he accounted for 65 subliminally attractive runs. Standing tall and making full use of his height, he played numerous attractive strokes off the backfoot through point and the covers, eliciting admiring, maybe even semi-envious, oohs and aahs from hardened English writers who were at the end of their tether with their side on the cusp of a shattering 1-4 series loss. They lapsed into the comparison game, likening Padikkal’s backfoot play on the offside to Mooen Ali’s. Not many among the large contingent of Indian journalists were necessarily in agreement, though no one who witnessed that superb knock was in any doubt about the Padikkal quality.

Inauspicious start

In the next 22 months, Padikkal figured in just one more Test, against Australia in Perth in November that year when Shubman Gill was out with a fractured left thumb. He made an inauspicious start to his overseas career when he was caught behind after 23 scoreless deliveries, dismissed for a blob by Josh Hazlewood. He made a neat 25 in the second innings and then warmed the bench in that series, as he has done subsequently too, as Gill recovered in time for the next game in Adelaide.

Both of Padikkal’s Test appearances have come about because of injuries to guaranteed starters; it’s perhaps mere coincidence that India have won both those games but given how much they have struggled at home in recent times, it may not be the best idea to fit Padikkal in because, after all, India don’t lose Tests when Padikkal plays, right? Seriously though, if the team management stops investing in semi-all-rounders to extend the batting and places its eggs in the specialist basket, or takes cognisance of Sai Sudharsan’s travails, Padikkal could well slot in as the next No. 3 against Afghanistan in June and in Sri Lanka in August.

Devdutt Padikkal in action against Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy.
| Photo Credit:
VIJAY SONEJI

It’s not his Hazare stats alone that will precipitate his return to the five-day game, because Padikkal hasn’t disappointed whenever he has played against the red ball either this season. In his only Duleep Trophy appearance for South Zone against Central Zone in September, he made a half-century and his lone Ranji fixture in the first half of the league phase netted him 115 runs, including a fluid 96. While he missed the five-Test tour of England in the summer through injury, he looked completely at ease in the nets against Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj and the spin pack during the home showdowns against West Indies and South Africa in October and November respectively. By steadfastly opting to overlook his touch, form and class, the Indian leadership group provided an unenviable example of how not to make a good thing count.

India are fortunate that they have a plethora of young batters who are proficient in all three formats. Test and ODI skipper Gill headlines that list alongside Jaiswal, who is another unfortunate sufferer of whimsical selection. Add Padikkal to that group. Just when he appeared primed to kick on after making 400-plus runs in his first two IPL seasons (2020 and 2021) for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, he was laid low by an acute intestinal issue that set him back considerably for the better part of two seasons. That’s why his first-class average of 41.01 from 49 games is misleading because once he returned from illness in the 2023-24 season, he dialled in wonderfully, making the most runs for his state in the Hazare Trophy and backing it up with four hundreds in six first-class outings.

He averages a phenomenal 82.15 in 40 List A matches (50-over cricket), and has buttressed an average of 32.32 with a strike-rate of 135.83 in 115 20-over fixtures. In IPL 2025 on his return to RCB after two seasons with Rajasthan Royals and a third with Lucknow Super Giants, Padikkal rediscovered his mojo, playing several crucial hands – a strike-rate of 150.61 more than compensated for a not-inconsiderable average of 27.44 in 10 matches. But with the business end of the tournament approaching, Padikkal sustained a hamstring injury that ended his interest. He wasn’t around to play his part in his franchise’s maiden IPL title triumph at the 18th attempt, but he had already left his mark by then.

It was this hamstring injury that prevented him from boarding the flight to England in June but once he proved his fitness and backed it up with runs, he was back in the Indian Test set-up. Even though he didn’t get game-time, he is clearly better off for his skirmishes in the nets with the country’s best bowlers, and that confidence has manifested itself in a nightmare for bowlers at the Hazare Trophy.

Long levers

Padikkal has what the pundits now call long levers – apparently, it is unfashionable these days to just say ‘long reach’ – which, coupled with his equally long stride, allow him to strike the crisply off the front foot. Few batters bring the wrists more into play while driving through the offside than the rangy, attractive left-hander who was born in Edapal in Kerala but for whom Bengaluru has always been home. He has now developed into an all-round attacking package, equally felicitous off front foot and back, on the offside and on, against pace and spin alike. He is at that stage of his cricketing journey where he has enough experience – and setbacks – to fall back on and learn from. But because he is there and thereabouts, in the mix but not yet a preferred choice, there is a raging internal fire which he has learnt to channel admirably and effectively.

The next four or so months, starting Monday, will be massive for Padikkal. First, there is the Hazare Trophy which Karnataka are attempting to defend. Having spoiled his teammates with his rich vein of form, Padikkal will be expected to spearhead his side’s challenge in the company of his captain and fellow opener Mayank Agarwal and lay the foundation on which a formidable middle-order can build. Then come the two remaining league fixtures in the Ranji Trophy; Karnataka are currently perched atop Group B, ahead of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, and will be desperate to make it to the knockouts so that they can sustain their quest for a first Ranji title since the 2014-15 season. The final stop in the domestic calendar is IPL 2026; RCB are in uncharted territory, trying to retain the crown worn last year, and Padikkal will fancy himself to come good yet again.

All three formats lie in wait then. India will embark on a journey of rebuilding after the T20 World Cup ending in March. If Padikkal has a terrific IPL to go with his other exploits, who is to say that, finally, he won’t get his due and worm his way into the affections of the decision-making group?

Published – January 12, 2026 12:30 am IST