Devdutt Padikkal's extended stay in Australia revealed after touring with India A squad

New Delhi: In a strategic move, the Indian management has chosen to retain India A batsman Devdutt Padikkal in Australia as a backup option for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Despite the India A team returning home soon, the left-handed batsman has been instructed to stay in Australia in preparation for the Perth Test.

According to a PTI report, the India A team will return home in the next 24 hours but Karnataka swashbuckling batsman Devdutt has been held back. India’s camp, especially the batting unit, has been hit by a number of injuries in the last few days and skipper Rohit Sharma is yet to join the team due to the birth of his second child.

Many players injured in simulation match:
Shubman Gill suffered a minor fracture in his thumb while fielding during a simulation match on Saturday and is likely to miss the first match of the five-match series starting on November 22. KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan are also suffering from minor injuries sustained during the simulation match, but they are expected to be fully fit for the first match.

Strong innings played for India A:
As far as Devdutt Padikkal is concerned, this left-handed batsman has played excellent innings for India A. He scored 36, 88, 26 and 1 against Australia A. Padikkal also shared an important partnership with Sai Sudarshan. The 24-year-old left-handed batsman made a successful Test debut earlier this year by scoring 65 runs against England in Dharamsala.

Did not get a chance against New Zealand:
He was dropped from the squad for the home Test series against New Zealand after the return of Virat Kohli. Padikkal also scored three half-centuries in three matches in the Duleep Trophy 2024 and got his name forward for India A’s tour of Australia. He was also named in the Karnataka squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.