India batter Devdutt Padikkal who was the part of India A squad in Australia has joined the India squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 which is scheduled to start from November 22. The left-handed batter will most likely to feature for India in the opener clash as Shubman Gill is currently injured and the young batter set to miss the Perth Test.
Gill was injured during India's practice session at WACA in Perth. The young batter fractured his thumb while fielding in slips during match simulation. BCCI took their 'X' formerly known as Twitter to announce that Padikkal has joined India squad.
Padikkal made his Test debut earlier this year during England's tour of India where he scored 65 runs in Dharamsala.
Devdutt Padikkal demonstrated exceptional grit against the Australia A bowlers in Melbourne, emerging as a standout performer for India. After a quiet start in the first innings of the opening unofficial Test, Padikkal, along with Sai Sudarshan, mounted a determined fightback to stabilize the innings against the hosts.
Although Padikkal narrowly missed out on a century, falling 12 runs short, his composed and confident display at the crease earned him accolades from the support staff. His inclusion in the side has also delayed Abhimanyu Easwaran’s chances of making his Test debut.
With Rohit Sharma unavailable for the first Test due to paternity leave, there was speculation that Easwaran might make his debut in Perth. However, his ongoing challenges against swing and seam conditions ultimately excluded him from consideration for the playing XI.
India’s batting order is now likely to feature KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal as openers, with Padikkal and Virat Kohli filling the No. 3 and No. 4 spots. Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel are expected to round out the top six.
