Former India player turned commentator Mohammad Kaif feels Devdutt Padikkal will have the edge over Sai Sudharsan for the No. 3 spot in Team India’s Test batting lineup. Padikkal used the chance to bat in the top order in the first Test against Sri Lanka, with Sudharsan ruled out of the series due to a toe injury. He scored his maiden Test century with 167 off 230 balls in India’s first innings.
Kaif said in his latest YouTube video: “Sai Sudharsan got a chance, and he played a 50-run knock in every third or fourth inning. The problem is that the other guy is scoring runs like 160 and becoming the Man of the Match. So, one scores 50 every third inning, and the other plays an impactful inning. The importance of the player who helps Shubman Gill’s captaincy and keeps India’s WTC hopes alive will matter more. Padikkal has made a strong case there. He grabbed the chance at the right time. Even when Sai comes back, it will be a tough call because that guy came and straightaway won the match when you desperately needed points. It will be difficult to remove him.”
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On the other hand, Manav Suthar was a strong contender for the Player of the Match award in the Galle Test as he claimed his maiden 10-wicket haul in Tests. However, Devdutt Padikkal got the award for his stunning ton. Mohammad Kaif added that while many argued that Suthar should have been the Player of the Match, Padikkal getting the award was the right decision as well.
“Many people felt that he (Padikkal) did not deserve to be the Man of the Match, and it should have been Suthar. But in my view, it was the right decision because it was a turning track where the ball spun right from Day 1. It wasn’t a pitch where batting became difficult on the third or fourth day onwards. It was not easy. Because he scored 167, Suthar had over 450 runs on the board when he came to bowl. Suthar will definitely get the Man of the Match if he picks up six wickets while defending 200 runs. But whenever he came to bowl here, he always had 400-400 on the board. So, there was no pressure on him to not bowl a bad ball,” Mohammad Kaif concluded.
