Team India’s No.3 Test batter Devdutt Padikkal, who has been named India A captain for the two multi-day games against Australia A, has stated that it is another chance to learn and adapt to the game.
Notably, Padikkal will captain India A against Australia A in two red-ball games, starting on Tuesday, September 22, in Puducherry. This two-match series will be important for the No.3 batter ahead of the forthcoming New Zealand tour.
“It’s a great opportunity to be captain of India A. I’m looking forward to it. I think leadership is something that I really enjoy doing, especially starting off with Karnataka last year,” Padikkal told select media.
“It was a great learning curve for me, so I’m really looking forward to carrying that experience to India A as well,” he added.
For the unversed, Padikkal captained his state team, Karnataka, in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 campaign. Interestingly, he scored an 85-ball 120-run knock against Punjab in Mohali in a must-win group stage clash as Karnataka chased down 250 runs in 28 overs to seal their spot in the quarter-finals.
“Personally, I enjoy captaincy. That’s just an added responsibility to go out there and make sure that I’m helping the side. I’ve always played cricket that way. I’ve always wanted to make sure that the team wins. As a captain, that’s your sole focus. You want to make the team win. That just helps my batting even further,” he noted.
India A Multi-day squad vs Australia A: Aman Mokhade, Ayush Pandey, Devdutt Padikkal [C], Sai Sudharsan [VC], Yash Rathod, Shaik Rasheed, Kumar Kushagra [WK], Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Tushar Deshpande, Anshul Kamboj, Praful Hinge, N Jagadeesan [WK], Nachiket Bhute, V Vyshak*
*Subject to fitness clearance
