“I’ve always enjoyed seeing Devdutt Padikkal” - Ex-South African captain wants left-hander to get more chances in Tests

Former South African captain and commentator Shaun Pollock feels Team India should have picked someone like Devdutt Padikkal in their playing XI. Interestingly, the Southpaw batter has been part of the squad, but couldn’t get chances in the XI.

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Speaking exclusively on Cricbuzz, the former captain asserted that India has abundance in talent in their domestic circuit, adding that they can field a Test, T20I and A sides at the same point in time. 

"I’m not too sure, I’ve always enjoyed seeing Padikkal, I suppose he’s the one batter who’s sitting on the outside looking in. There’s nothing that jumps out at me. We’ve seen these young guys and what they’ve done in the IPL. I know it’s a completely different format,” Pollock said on Cricbuzz

“As foreigners from the outside, we’ve always been, ‘Geez, you guys have got some batting depth. Look at these young guys, they come in and come out and perform and do whatever.’ You have a team that’s playing Test cricket and the T20 side goes on a different tour, produces and play A sides,” he added.

"So, it’s come as a bit of a surprise. It’s a wonderful time to be an Indian batter because if you put your hand up, like Shubman Gill has done, and say, ‘hey back me and produce’, then you can make a real name for yourself. All of a sudden, India is calling out for someone or people that can be reliable with the bat in a longer format," he concluded.

For the unversed, Padikkal has played two Tests so far, accumulating only 90 runs at an average of 30 with a half-century. His Test debut came against England in March 2024 while his last game came against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 campaign in November 2024.

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