For a player with the caliber of Devdutt Padikkal and the stats he boasts of in List A, it has hard to fathom how he hasn’t earned an ODI call-up yet. After all, he averages over 80 in List A, has over 2500 runs in just 38 matches and already has 13 hundreds to his name. Yet, it is going to take quite some time for the Karnataka batter to break into the Indian ODI side. But it isn’t his fault.
Padikkal unlikely for IND vs NZ ODIs, here’s why
Padikkal has been in red-hot form in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025/26. He has scored four centuries in the last five matches that he has played, putting the selectors on notice before the IND vs NZ ODI series. His last five scores read – 147 vs Jharkhand, 124 vs Kerala, 22 vs Tamil Nadu, 113 vs Puducherry and 108* vs Tripura. Despite his scintillating form, Padikkal is likely to find no place in the squad for the New Zealand series.
Firstly, Padikkal’s consistency has been on full display while he has batted at the top of the order for Karnataka, a position that is currently vacant for India. Shubman Gill, who missed the previous ODI series against South Africa due to a neck injury, is all set to return for the New Zealand series. This means, he will resume his responsibility as opener along with Rohit Sharma, leaving no space for Devdutt at the top of the order. And he can’t be considered a backup opener either as Yashasvi Jaiswal is the firs-choice for that role.
Devdutt has shown his ability to bat in the middle-order as well and has showcased it in the longest format of the game. Therefore, one could argue that with Shreyas Iyer unlikely to be fit in time for the IND vs NZ ODI series, Padikkal could easily be his replacement. However, there’s a catch here as well. Ruturaj Gaikwad, who did well in the IND vs SA series in the absence of Iyer, is likely to be picked ahead of the Karnataka batter. His 105-run knock in the IND vs SA 2nd ODI would surely have impressed the selectors, making him an automatic choice as Sheryas’ replacement for the NZ series as well.
Besides, there is no one else who can be dropped for Padikkal. Tilak Varma clearly did no wrong and hence is likely to be retained in the side. Nevertheless, the Indian selection committee has been unpredictable over the last 12 months. Therefore, it won’t come as a pure surprise if Padikkal squeezes his way into the IND vs NZ ODI squad, if the selectors should follow the logic of wanting to rest stars who are a part of the T20 World Cup squad from the 50-over series.
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