India Champions Trophy squad: The RCB star leaps ahead of Virat Kohli, making a selection case
Archive photo of Devdutt Padikkal (centre).© Agence France-Presse
Left-handed Indian batsman Devdutt Padikkal tops the list of elite Indian cricketers in 50-over cricket, even higher than ODI great Virat Kohli. Padikkal boasts impressive statistics that put him miles away from Kohli, Rohit Sharma and other greats of the 50-over game. The 24-year-old, who represents Karnataka in domestic cricket, has an impressive batting average in List A (50-over cricket) of 82.52, far ahead of any other Indian. What makes Padikkal’s record even more special is that he has already amassed over 2000 List A runs at such a high average.
Padikkal has been in sublime form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, India’s premier domestic tournament spanning 50-plus years. The left-hander completed his seventh successive half-century in the tournament to take Karnataka to the final with a win over Haryana. It’s a streak that spans two seasons
In 31 List A innings, Padikkal has scored 2,063 runs and boasts a healthy strike rate of over 91.
His ridiculous average puts him above Virat Kohli (57.05), Cheteshwar Pujara (57.01) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (56.80) in the list of Indian batsmen with the best List A averages.
Legendary Australian all-rounder Michael Bevan has the highest List A batting average among players with more than 50 innings, and even his 57.86 is no match for Padikkal.
Padikkal made his Test debut in 2024, playing Tests against England at home and Australia away. He made his T20I debut for India in 2021. However, it is striking that he is yet to be considered for ODI selection.
Given his impressive form, Padikkal can force himself into the conversation for India’s ODI setup. However, he is not expected to be in the squad for the Champions Cup.
Padikkal was bought at base price by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL).
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