Devdutt Padikkal will have to wait to add to his two Test caps after being benched for the IND vs WI 1st Test. The left-hander was picked for the India vs West Indies tests with a view to plug a hole in the middle order. Head coach Gautam Gambhir continued his all-rounder heavy tactics with Nitish Kumar Reddy featuring instead.
Padikkal benched, Gambhir backs Nitish Reddy for West Indies 1st Test
Devdutt Padikkal roared back into India contention with a fine century for India A. With Karun Nair struggling and Shreyas Iyer out of the picture, the Karnataka star was handed a call up to the 15-man squad. Padikkal was largely expected to feature in Ahmedabad, but missed out on selection.
Gautam Gambhir is known for his all-rounder heavy team selections and that was the case again on Thursday. Nitish Kumar Reddy will make his first Test appearance in India after being preferred over Padikkal. Gambhir has opted for 3 all-rounders and a wicketkeeper over selecting a specialist batter in the XI.
Padikkal scored half century on debut for India against England last year. He played at No.3 in the Perth Test vs Australia. Incidentally, it was the series where Nitish Kumar Reddy announced. Reddy went on to score a century in Melbourne and featured in 3 of the 5 Tests in the recent India vs England series.
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