Follow UsWith reports suggesting that Devdutt Padikkal is on the verge of a Test comeback, the Karnataka batter did himself no good, with a huge failure against Australia A, on September 24 (Wednesday). The left-handed batter, who was rumoured to be a front-runner for West Indies Tests, could only score 1 off 11 balls against Australia A.
After Australia A scored 420, courtesy of Jack Edwards’ 88 and Todd Murphy’s 76, it was expected that the stacked Indian A middle-order would respond most dominantly. However, it turned out in vain, as Padikkal, batting at No.4, got out early to Henry Thornton, with Sam Konstas taking the catch. In the previous clash, though, Padikkal smashed a terrific 150, which put him back in contention for India's 15-member squad for the Windies series.
India A’s skipper Dhruv Jurel also failed, as the right-handed batter got out for one off three balls, and Thornton struck twice in two overs. However, the same can’t be said for Sai Sudharsan, who showed his class with a well-constructed innings, batting on 33 off 77 balls at the time of this report.
Sudharsan’s fellow statemate, Narayan Jagadeesan, did himself no harm either, as the right-handed batter put on an attacking display, smashing 38 off 45, with six boundaries. The wicketkeeper batter is expected to be part of the Indian side for the upcoming two-match Test assignment against West Indies, as Jurel’s understudy.
At the time of this report, India A slid to 138/7, with Sudharsan (34*) batting alongside Prasidh Krishna (4*).