As captain of India A, Devdutt Padikkal sees another chance to sharpen his game

Devdutt Padikkal sees his promotion as India A captain as more than just an opportunity to lead. For the Karnataka batsmen, this is another chance to learn, adapt and add to the continued development of their game.

Padikkal will lead India A against Australia in two red-ball matches in Puducherry from September 22, with the assignment coming at an important stage in his development ahead of India’s upcoming tour of New Zealand.

“It’s a great opportunity to captain India A. I’m looking forward to it. I think leadership is something I really enjoy, especially when I started with Karnataka last year,” Padikkal told select media.

“It’s been a great learning curve for me so I’m really looking forward to taking that experience to India A as well.”

A NATURAL LEADER

Padikkal got his first taste of the captaincy with Karnataka last season in the Ranji Trophy and quickly showed that the added responsibility did not weigh on him.

In a must-win group match against Punjab in Mohali, he smashed an 85-ball 120 as Karnataka chased down 250 in just 28 overs to book their place in the quarter-finals.

For Padikkal, the connection between management and batting is straightforward. The responsibility of leading the team, he believes, can sharpen his own focus at the crease.

“Personally, I like captaincy. It’s just another responsibility, to go out there and make sure I’m helping the side. That’s how I’ve always played cricket.”

“I always wanted to make sure the team wins. As a captain, that’s your only focus. You want the team to win. It just helps my batting further,” he said.

That mindset will now be tested against the Australian side in the India A series, with Padikkal looking to use the task as another opportunity to grow.

FINDING YOUR NEXT ROW

The 26-year-old has already put together a productive stretch of cricket. He returned from India’s recent tour of Sri Lanka with two fifties and the Player of the Series award before making a solid 62 for South Zone against East Zone in the Duleep Trophy final in Chepauk earlier this week.

While the result didn’t go the south zone’s way, Padikkal was delighted to spend time in the middle.

“It’s always a great feeling to get on a run. I think the purpose of coming here was to try and help South Zone win, but of course that couldn’t happen. But personally, I’m happy to get some time there and I hope I can continue to do that.”

More importantly, Padikkal feels his bat has undergone significant technical changes faced quality opposition in a variety of conditions last season.

“It’s a constant learning curve. There are a lot of things I’ve learned over the course of the season. I think more technically than mentally. It took a few changes to develop as a batsman in the last season,” he said.

The next challenge will be New Zealand, where the conditions will likely require further adjustment.

“We are playing in different conditions. Obviously Sri Lanka and Chennai were quite similar. But moving forward, we will also be going to New Zealand, it will be interesting to see how I can adapt to the different conditions.”

HOME GRINDING MATTERS

Padikkal’s recent run has also strengthened his conviction worth of domestic cricket. The Karnataka batsman believes that quality and workload in the domestic circuit can often go unnoticed.

“It takes a lot of hard work to get through the domestic grind. There’s a lot of high-quality cricket happening on the domestic circuit. I think you don’t always see that, especially when you look at the Duleep Trophy, the amount of quality that’s there,” he said.

A Ranji Trophy season can span 11 matches for a team that makes it to the finals, which requires consistency over several months.

“There’s a lot of hard work that goes into it day in and day out to make sure you keep performing after every game,” Padikkal said.

“So it’s not easy and it takes a lot of effort and determination. At the end of the day, when they get noticed and you get picked, it’s a really gratifying experience.”

In Puducherry, Padikkal will also face competition for the No.3 spot, with fit Sai Sudharsan once again in the mix. But the Karnataka batsman is not interested in looking too far beyond his own game.

“There has always been fierce competition for places in Indian cricket. It has never really gone down and it will always be the same.”

“It’s important that we don’t focus too much on that and just keep enjoying my batting. As long as I keep scoring runs I’m happy,” he said.

– The end

Issued by:

Amar Panicker

Published on:

12 Sep 2026 18:52 IST