Former RCB batter Shreevats Goswami said Devdutt Padikkal’s emergence at No.3 will help India in the upcoming Test series in New Zealand. But he said the two-match Test series in New Zealand will be India’s biggest challenge in recent times,
especially for the batters as well. Padikkal starred with the bat for India in their most recent Test series in Sri Lanka, scoring 328 runs, which came at an average of over 109, including two centuries.

Talking about this, Goswami said on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast, “India’s domestic circuit is so strong that the players keep coming. India was looking for a solid No.3 in Tests, and Devdutt Padikkal seems to be the answer to that. He is going to solve a lot of problems for India. The New Zealand series will be the biggest challenge for Gautam Gambhir as coach. It will also be the biggest challenge for all the Indian batters, who struggled even at home against spin. Now, they’ll be up against seamers in seaming conditions with three slips and a gully and 80 overs of fast bowling.”

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“Virat Kohli should have played Test cricket for another four to five years. The kind of cricket, attitude, and fitness he has, he retired way too early. He had so much left and is like an ambassador for Test cricket. Overall, India’s batting has dipped as there is so much focus on T20s. So things like defense, the art of leaving the ball, and patience have gone down a notch,” he added again.

Meanwhile, former Australian captain Michael Clarke believes T20 cricket has affected the Indian batters’ performance against spin in Tests as well.

“India have always been unbelievable players of spin. But because of so much T20 cricket, where the ball doesn’t spin as much, the Indian batters aren’t as good as they used to be. Guys like Ganguly, Tendulkar, Sehwag, Laxman, and Dravid were freaks against spin. Now the current Indian batters aren’t as good against spin bowling,” said Clarke.