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Former Indian cricketer Mohammed Kaif said that the left-handed batter Devdutt Padikkal has made a strong case for himself as India's number three, saying that Padikkal's impact could help skipper Shubman Gill and his hopes for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final.
In the absence of number three Sai Sudharsan, Padikkal made a massive leap towards grabbing that spot, scoring a well-paced 167 off 230 balls in the first innings on a spin-friendly surface at Galle against Sri Lanka, following it with a crucial 44-run knock in the second innings, which helped India seal a 165-run win. In only his third Test, Padikkal won the 'Player of the Match'. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaif said that within a span of one match, Padikkal made more impact than Sudharsan, who he said was scoring half-centuries every third or fourth inning. The former batter said that Padikkal grabbed his chance at the right time and it would be a tough call for the team management going forward, saying that Padikkal's knock has made it hard to remove him. "Sai Sudharsan got a chance, and he played a 50-run knock in every third or fourth inning. The problem is that the other guy is scoring runs like 160 and becoming the Man of the Match. So, one scores 50 every third inning, and the other plays an impactful inning. The importance of the player who helps Shubman Gill's captaincy and keeps India's WTC hopes alive will matter more. Padikkal has made a strong case there," he said. "He grabbed the chance at the right time. Even when Sai comes back, it will be a tough call because that guy came and straightaway won the match when you desperately needed points. It will be difficult to remove him," he added. In seven Tests, Sudharsan has scored 383 runs in 12 innings at an average of 31.91, including three fifties, with a best score of 87. In three matches and five innings meanwhile, Padikkal has scored 301 runs at an average of 60.20, with a century and a fifty. Kaif said that giving the POTM award to Padikkal over Manav Suthar, who took a historic ten-fer and became the Indian bowler with best figures in Sri Lanka, was justified, as the surface was turning right from day one and Padikkal gave Suthar enough runs while he was bowling. "Many people felt that Padikkal did not deserve to be the Man of the Match, and it should have been Suthar. But in my view, it was the right decision because it was a turning track where the ball spun right from Day 1. It was not a pitch where batting became difficult on the third or fourth day onwards. It was not easy. Because he scored 167, Suthar had over 450 runs on the board when he came to bowl," he signed off. (ANI)
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