Devdutt Padikkal has etched his name in the history books by surpassing records set by Ruturaj Gaikwad and Virat Kohli in List A cricket. The Karnataka batter’s exceptional performance in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 has reinforced his status as one of India’s most promising talents.
Devdutt Padikkal’s record-breaking performance
In the semi-final clash against Haryana, Padikkal played a crucial knock of 86 runs off 113 balls, striking 8 fours and a six. His innings powered Karnataka to successfully chase a target of 238 runs and secure a spot in the tournament final. Notably, Padikkal also achieved his seventh consecutive fifty-plus score in the tournament, equaling his own record set in the 2021-22 season.
Padikkal has now amassed over 2000 runs in List A cricket, boasting a remarkable average of 82.38 – surpassing the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad (58.16), Michael Bevan (57.86), Virat Kohli (57.05) and AB de Villiers (53.47).
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“It’s a format I enjoy batting in”: Padikkal
Talking about his innings after the game against Haryana, Padikkal said, “It’s a format I enjoy batting in, whenever I come back to bat for Karnataka it’s always a pleasure. Look to get on the front foot, it was keeping low and both me and Smaran were able to get the singles away and keep the scorecard going.”
He added: “Try to move your body towards the ball, if you hang back then you will be in trouble and I felt that he batted beautifully through that phase.”
Padikkal was part of the India A squad that recently toured Australia, where he played a match against the Prime Minister’s XI before earning an opportunity to feature in the Perth Test. With Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma unavailable, Padikkal was given a chance to step into the playing XI. However, he couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity, managing scores of 0 and 25 in the opening Test of the five-match series.