India's 24-Year-Old Batting Star Goes Past Virat Kohli, Michael Bevan In Illustrious List After VHT Exploits
Photo : AP
India batter Devdutt Padikkal on Wednesday clocked the highest average in the history of List A cricket among batters with a minimum of 2000 runs, going past the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad, former Australia cricketer Michael Bevan and even Virat Kohli in the process. He made a strong case for a spot in India's Champions Trophy squad although it is highly unlikely given the dearth of space in the star-studded lineup.
In the semifinal of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Karnataka’s chase of a manageable 238 started on a shaky note, losing captain and top run-getter Mayank Agarwal in the first over itself, as pacer Anshul Kamboj’s low-slung ball trapped him in front of the wicket.
But Devdutt (86, 113b, 8x4, 1x6) and Ravichandran Smaran (76, 94b, 3x4, 3x6) milked 128 runs for the third wicket as Karnataka overhauled the target in the 48th over, making 238/5.
During his innings, Devdutt completed the milestone of 2000 runs in List A cricket and now has 2063 runs from 31 matches. His stunning average of 82.52 is now the highest in the history of List A cricket among batters with a minimum of 2000 runs.
Gaikwad has an average of 58.16, Bevan 57.86, England batter Sam Hain 57.76 while Kohli is at 57.
Devdutt's current streak spans two seasons of the Vijay Hazare Trophy with the score reading 86, 102, 114, 93*, 70, 117 and 71*. He rejoined the Karnataka team after the end of the Sydney Test and smacked a 99-ball 102 in the quarterfinal game against Baroda. It was his first appearance in List A cricket in the last two years.
Devdutt had earlier left for Australia during the first half of the Ranji Trophy in October as part of the India A tour and impressed the Indian team management with his 88-run innings in Mackay.
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