Devdutt Padikkal joins Mayank Agarwal as joint-third highest century-maker in VHT
Ahmedabad, December 31
Devdutt Padikkal continues his incredible form in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, scoring his third century in the tournament and joining Mayank Agarwal with 12 hundreds to become the joint-third highest century-maker in the tournament's history.
He achieved this feat against Puducherry on Wednesday in the VHT fixture at the ADSA Railways Cricket Ground, Ahmedabad.
Padikkal's impressive form has seen him score 406 runs in four matches at an average of 101.50, making him a strong contender for India's ODI squad against New Zealand starting from January 11.
In 32 appearances in VHT, Padikkal has slammed 2417 runs at a brilliant average of 92.96 and a strike rate of 94.97.
Coming to the clash between Karnataka and Puducherry on Wednesday, the former put up 363/4 on the board after electing to bat first, with Padikkal (113 in 116 balls, with 10 fours and four sixes) hitting his 12th List-A century in his 36th appearance and skipper Agarwal (132 in 124 balls, with 15 fours and two sixes) and Karun Nair (62* in 34 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes) scoring big.
For Puducherry, the fifties came from Neyan Shyam Kangayan (68 in 66 balls, with nine fours and a six) and Jayant Yadav (54 in 35 balls, with three fours and two sixes), but they were skittled out for 296 in 50 overs, with Manvanth Kumar L (3/52) being Karnataka's best bowler.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Great to see Karnataka boys dominating! Padikkal and Mayank both scoring big. This is the kind of domestic performance we need to see. Hope the selectors are watching. He should definitely be on the plane to New Zealand.
While the numbers are fantastic, let's be honest, the quality of bowling in some VHT games can be questionable. Puducherry isn't exactly a top-tier side. The real test will be against international attacks. Hope he gets the chance to prove himself.
That strike rate of nearly 95 with such a high average is the most impressive part for me. He's not just accumulating runs, he's scoring them quickly. Perfect for modern ODI cricket. Exciting times ahead!
Remember when he had health issues last year? What a comeback! Shows his mental strength. From battling illness to bashing centuries. Hats off to the young man. Wishing him all the best for the national call-up.
The depth in Indian batting is unbelievable. You have guys like Padikkal, Jaiswal, Rinku all knocking on the door. It's a great problem for the team management to have. May the best player get the spot.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.