The management has reportedly decided to keep India A batter Devdutt Padikkal in Australia as a backup option to the batting unit for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on Sunday. India A side is set to return home in the next few days but the left-handed batter has been asked to remain in Australia ahead of Perth Test.
According to a report from Cricbuzz, the India A team will return home in the next 24 hours but the Karnataka batter is set to stay behind. India's camp, especially the batting unit, has been hit with various injuries in the last couple of days and captain Rohit Sharma is yet to join the team due to the birth of his second child.
Shubman Gill suffered a minor thumb fracture while fielding in training on Saturday and will likely miss the five-match series opener starting on November 22. KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan are also dealing with minor injuries suffered during the simulation training games but are expected to be fully fit for the first match.
Meanwhile, Padikkal scored one big fifty against Australia A while batting at No.4 earlier this month. Padikkal's versatility to bat in any position makes him an ideal backup option for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The 24-year-old left-handed batter made a successful Test debut against England by scoring 65 runs in Dharamsala earlier this year. He was dropped from the team for the home Test series against New Zealand upon Virat Kohli's return. Padikkal also hit three fifties in three matches in the Duleep Trophy 2024 to push his name for the India A tour of Australia.
India’s squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy:
Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.
Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed.
