Syed Mushtaq Ali T20: Devdutt Padikkal will stay back in Australia and is not part of the India A squad which is set to return home on Monday. The development comes after captain Rohit Sharma and opener Shubman Gill are most likely ruled out of the Test series opener in Perth, starting on Friday.
As per the Cricbuzz report, the Indian team management, in consultation with the national selectors, has decided to retain the Karnataka batter as a backup for the senior team.
Padikkal, who recently recorded scores of 36, 88, 26 and 1 in unofficial Tests against Australia A, has been identified as a batting backup. While these performances alone might not typically warrant a call-up to the senior national team, the management values his experience and familiarity with Australian conditions. Padikkal, who played his lone Test against England earlier this year and has featured in T20Is, is seen as a reliable option.
