AUS vs IND 1st Test: Padikkal stays; Shami's inclusion remains uncertain

Devdutt Padikkal, who was playing for the India A side under the leadership of Ruturaj Gaikwad in the two-match Test series against Australia A, scored 151 runs in the four innings he played

The Indian cricket team is going through a rough patch. After losing the home Test series against New Zealand 0-3, they have suffered a series of demoralising setbacks ahead of the start of the first Test of the 2024 Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Perth from Friday, November 22. Their regular skipper, Rohit Sharma, has decided to sit out of the first Test due to personal reasons, and their star young batter, Shubman Gill, has been ruled out due to a thumb fracture. In the wake of these events, the BCCI has decided to call for reinforcement, asking the left-handed batter, Devdutt Padikkal, who was in Australia with the India A team, to stay back with the senior team. 

 

Familiarity with the conditions 

Devdutt Padikkal, who was playing for India A side under the leadership of Ruturaj Gaikwad in the two-match Test series against Australia A, scored 151 runs in the four innings he played, with a best score of 88. He has been in Australia for the last 20 days and has acclimatised to the uneven pitch conditions there, which might be the reason he was asked to be a backup for the Indian squad by the BCCI. 

Additionally, Devdutt Padikkal has also featured in a Test match for India against Australia earlier this year, where he scored 65 runs in the only innings he batted as India won the game by an innings and 64 runs. 

Shami still a no-go 

Indian pacer Mohammad Shami, who was sidelined after a successful outing at the ICC 2023 World Cup last year with an Achilles tendon injury, is still not in the BCCI’s plans for the Indian team.

The pacer made his much-awaited return earlier this month in the Ranji Trophy for Bengal, where he announced his comeback with a brilliant four-fer against the Madhya Pradesh side in the first innings to help Bengal take the lead.

Despite the BCCI's stance at the moment, fans can expect the Bengal pacer to join the Indian side if any bowler suffers an unfortunate injury during the ongoing tour. Given his form and experience, he can be a great asset for India in their hunt to retain the trophy.