Devdutt Padikkal smashes hundred against Australia A in first unofficial Test

New Delhi: Karnataka batter Devdutt Padikkal made a brilliant comeback in the India A circuit, smashing his seventh First-Class century against Australia A in Lucknow on Friday, September 19.

Resuming from his overnight score of 86, Padikkal notched up his hundred in only 20 balls on the Day 4 morning as India A inch closer to the visitor’s massive first-innings score of 532/6 decl.

He later crossed the 3000-run mark in First Class cricket in his 74th innings. The 25-year-old is playing only his second competitive game since the IPL 2025 final in May, where Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won their maiden title.

Padikkal marked his comeback with a half-century and an unbeaten 16 in the Duleep Trophy semi-final in Bengaluru earlier this month before being selected for the India A assignment. He was removed by Corey Rocchiccioli on 150 runs at the brink of lunch on Day 4.

After a brilliant half-century on his Test debut against England in Dharamshala last year, Padikkal only played one more match for India during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 opener against Australia in Perth in 2024.

He was dismissed for a 23-ball duck, and scored 25 runs in the second innings. After that, the Karnataka batter was omitted from the XI for the remainder of the tour and was also not picked for the England series in June this year.

Batting at No. 4, Padikkal stitched a crucial 228-run partnership for the fifth wicket with India A wicket-keeper Dhruv Jurel.

Jurel delivered a stunning batting performance to lead India A’s strong response against Australia A in the first unofficial Test at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium on Thursday. He completed his century off 114 deliveries, smashing four maximums and 13 boundaries. Jurel was particularly aggressive against off-spinner Rocchiccioli, taking him for 47 runs off just 46 deliveries, including three sixes.