Devdutt Padikkal hit a second consecutive century in the 2025/26 Vijay Hazare Trophy to add to his already impressive List A record. But why hasn't he played ODI cricket yet?
Devdutt Padikkal starts VHT 2025/26 with twin centuries
First up this season in the VHT, Padikkal was tasked with chasing a record-breaking 413 against Jharkhand. Ishan Kishan, fresh off a recall to the national team, slammed his way to a 39-ball 125 to take the state side to a massive 412.
In reply, Padikkal added 114 runs with his opening partner Mayank Agarwal in 11.5 overs. He held one end in a steep chase even as others around him failed to convert their starts, anchoring perfectly before he was dismissed in the 41st over, having hit a 10th List A ton in 33 innings, ending on 147 off 118. Abhinav Manohar and Dhruv Prabhakar then finished the game for Karnataka.
Against Kerala up next on a not very batting friendly wicket, Padikkal needed to shoulder most of the burden after losing Agarwal in the second over while chasing 285. He was patient throughout the chase, completing his hundred off 116 balls while adding 223 runs for the second wicket with Karun Nair, who scored a run-a-ball 130.
Match 26, Karnataka vs Kerala
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Once again dismissed in the 41st over, the southpaw had done the hard work with Nair before Ravichandran Smaran finished the job. His 137-ball 124 was Padikkal’s fourth hundred in his last six List A games.
Remarkably, only one of his last 10 List A knocks has not ended in a 50+ score, a run that includes five hundreds and four half-centuries. His record in the format reads a mind-boggling 2342 runs in 34 innings at 83.64, with 11 hundreds and 12 half-centuries. But he has yet to make his ODI debut. Why?
Explained: Why Devdutt Padikkal hasn’t played ODI cricket yet
Padikkal is an out-and-out top-order batter, having largely batted as an opener or at No. 3 in List A cricket. But the India ODI side have their bases covered as far as the top order is concerned, and thus he hasn’t made his debut in the format yet, despite playing Test and T20I cricket.
Rohit Sharma selects himself as one of the two openers, while Shubman Gill has held on to the other spot since Shikhar Dhawan’s departure in 2022. Yashasvi Jaiswal is third in the pecking order, while Ishan Kishan, the backup opener for the 2023 ODI World Cup, could now re-enter the fray as well.
At No. 3 is Virat Kohli, who hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down and now focuses solely on 50-over cricket on the international stage. His recent run of form has also shot down any speculation surrounding his ability to play at the top level, and at present, he looks well-placed to make it to the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Even the No. 4 position looks out of bounds for Padikkal. Shreyas Iyer, when fit, takes that position and is one of the best white-ball batters in the world. Both KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant were tried there as well, and did not underperform by any stretch.
So, with one eye on the 2027 World Cup, it seems highly unlikely that India will tinker with a lineup that has, by far, been the best over the last two ICC ODI tournaments. Padikkal’s wait for an ODI debut is thus likely to continue.
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