Padikkal has strengthened his claims to bat at No. 3 after slamming a century in the warm-up fixture.
Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers has backed Devdutt Padikkal over Sarfaraz Khan for a number three spot in India’s playing XI for the upcoming first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, citing the former’s calm demeanor, solid technique, and tactical advantage as a left-hander.
While Sarfaraz was added to India’s squad as a replacement for injured Sai Sudharsan, Padikkal has strengthened his claims to bat at one down spot after slamming a century (142*) in the warm-up fixture against Sri Lanka Cricket XI.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, de Villiers highlighted that the Gautam Gambhir-led Indian team management will ultimately have to choose between Sarfaraz's high-risk, high-reward approach and Padikkal's ability to maintain a crucial right-left hand combination, which is especially effective against spinners on turning subcontinental tracks.
“One question mark around that number three batting spot, with either Sarfaraz Khan or Devdutt Padikkal having to put up their hand for that spot. I’m leaning towards Padikkal, a left-hander, really solid technique. He just comes across as a guy who can bat for long periods of time. Sarfaraz is more the exciting kind of candidate,” de Villiers said.
“He can take the game away from the opposition. He hits in funny areas, and he always keeps the captain on their toes. It’s a difficult decision to make here. I think what the coach will look at is, Gautam Gambhir will look at the make-up of the side and the balance. Do we need more of an exciting prospect at number three who can take the game away and take it on, or do we need more of a consistent player in Padikkal, a left-hander, always nice to have right-left-hand combinations, especially with spinners on turning wickets? I’m leaning towards that more of a conservative option, a guy with more of a calmer demeanour who can just slow the game down and also be attacking, if need be,” he added.
The two-Test series is a crucial assignment for Shubman Gill’s men as they aim to climb from fifth position in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 standings.
De Villiers noted that India still had a strong squad despite Jasprit Bumrah getting ruled out due to knee injury while also citing that they may have to win eight out of the remaining nine Tests to qualify for the WTC final.
“With no Jasprit Bumrah, he will be unavailable for this series. We’re looking at the squad. It’s a relatively strong squad. We can have a look at that quickly and see if India can make a run for it. They’ll have to win around eight out of the nine Test matches that they have remaining in the WTC standings,” he remarked.
After the Sri Lanka series, India will travel to New Zealand for a two-match Test series before hosting Australian in five Tests for the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy.