Former Indian middle-order batter Ajinkya Rahane, who recently announced his retirement from all forms of the game, has reckoned that India’s No.3 batter Devdutt Padikkal has sealed his spot for the time being in Test cricket.
Speaking on his Hindi YouTube channel, Rahane has temporarily sealed the No.3 spot with Sai Sudharsan out due to injury. Notably, Padikkal scored two centuries in the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka.
“I think he has temporarily sealed the No.3 spot. This is his own hard work, and I am happy with his performance. When they go to New Zealand, the conditions will be different, and preparation will have to be different. But for now, we can celebrate these two centuries,” Rahane said in a video on his Hindi YouTube channel.
“The way Padikkal batted in both games, one thing was visible that how you look to dominate bowlers while playing at number three, and he did that. Scoring back-to-back hundreds is not easy. It is always important to be decisive as a batter, and he showed that. The intent was there. He had all the shots. He got the opportunity, and he presented his case by batting with authority and the way he scored runs. He read the situation well,” he added.
Notably, Padikkal amassed 328 runs from three innings at an average of 109.33 with two centuries, including a top score of 167 in the first Test at Galle, emerging as India’s leading run-scorer in the series.
Furthermore, Rahane revealed that the middle-order batter Dhruv Jurel was another positive in India’s batting department, batting lower down the order with tailenders. Notably, Jurel accumulated 173 runs from three innings, including his unbeaten 115-run knock off 177 balls in Colombo.
“I think the biggest positive was two to three players. Padikkal was consistent. I felt Dhruv Jurel’s batting was another positive. He may have been under some pressure before the series, but made a crucial fifty and a hundred as well. His batting form was very important at that number. We have very few batters like him who bat according to the situation. He is someone who thinks for the team and reads the situation well,” he concluded.
