Devdutt Padikkal has been knocking on the ODI door for a while. The southpaw from Karnataka has been mowing down bowlers and records ever since his List A debut in 2019. After 39 innings, Padikkal averages a mind-boggling 82.15. Yes, you read that correctly. He really gets dismissed after scoring 82 runs on average.
Domestic dominance
Padikkal has crossed the 50-run mark in 26 of his 39 innings. It’s a level of consistency the world hasn’t seen before. Mind you, Virat Kohli, arguably the greatest 50-over batter, averages 57.67 in the format. But Padikkal has taken things up a notch. In the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT), the 25-year-old has just two scores of under fifty. He averages 91.42 with four hundred and one half-century in 7 innings.
Despite all of this, the selectors haven’t picked Padikkal. In fact, he’s yet to receive his maiden ODI call-up. Before India’s squad for the New Zealand series was named, he was one of the potential candidates to make the team. But with Shreyas Iyer returning, he was overlooked.
Padikkal focusing on process, not results
A last-minute injury to Rishabh Pant seemingly opened the door. Dhruv Jurel took that spot over other candidates. But Padikkal wasn’t expecting a call-up. In an exclusive conversation with InsideSport, he explained why he wasn’t hopeful about getting the call from the selectors.
“Not at all, to be honest. Rishabh is a wicketkeeper, and when a backup keeper gets injured, a backup keeper gets picked. I wasn’t expecting to get that call. I was focusing on my game tomorrow,” Padikkal told InsideSport.
Tomorrow, Padikkal will face Mumbai in the first quarterfinal of the 2025-26 VHT. Karnataka are the defending champions and will look to defend their crown. Is that something that Padikkal is focusing on? Does he think that winning back-to-back trophies and ending the tournament as the highest scorer will force selectors to pick him?
‘No,’ he says emphatically. Padikkal isn’t looking to add any unnecessary pressure on himself. He realises selection isn’t in his hands. He wants to follow his process and letting fate run its course. Right now, beating Mumbai and qualifying for the semifinal is all that’s on his mind.
“Not really. At the end of the day, it’s not something that is in my control. All I can do is score runs and win games for the side. That’s something that I have always tried to stick to. It’s very easy to get distracted by things like selection. I just want to go there and score runs,” he added.
Devdutt Padikkal’s List A record
| Innings | Runs | Average | 100s | 50s | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VHT 2025-26 | 7 | 640 | 91.42 | 4 | 1 |
| VHT | 35 | 2651 | 91.41 | 13 | 13 |
| List A | 39 | 2711 | 82.15 | 13 | 13 |
Cricket
Exclusive | 'Wasn't expecting that call' – Devdutt Padikkal on last-minute IND vs NZ selection after Rishabh Pant injury
