Indian debutants continued to shine in the Test series against England. The Rohit Sharma-led team, missing some of the biggest names in world cricket, fought back from 0-1 down to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the high-profile five-match series. On Day 2 of the series finale in Dharamsala, India were 427/7 in 101.1 overs, enjoying a first innings lead of 209 runs. (IND vs ENG Live updates | More Cricket News)
The second day's play witnessed Rohit Sharma notching up his 12 Test century, and it didn't take long for Shubman Gill to reach his three-figure score, with a six as his father witnessed the youngster's fourth ton in the format from the stands. And there's Devdutt Padikkal also, the latest Indian Test recruit.
Padikkal arrived in the middle after the fall of Rohit Sharma -- the Indian captain getting undone by the very first delivery bowled by his rival number Ben Stokes, a beauty nonetheless. The debutant then opened his account with a four, but saw Shubman Gill's wickets getting disturbed by James Anderson.
The quick wickets at the other end, however, didn't rattle the 23-year-old Karnataka batter. Carrying his domestic form to the biggest stage, Padikkal raced to his fifty, reaching the mini-landmark at the first time of asking.
In one particular play, he even took on James Anderson, hitting the pace bowling legend for three fours (in the 69th over). By Tea, he was already on 44 off 77 -- another good knock, following his 193 vs Punjab, 42 & 31 vs Gujarat, 103 vs Goa, and 151 & 36 vs Tamil Nadu in the just concluded Ranji Trophy season.
A brief breather, then he lofted Shoaib Bashir, who had just dismissed Sarfaraz Khan (56 off 60) for a six in the 87th over. The ball crashed into long on stands and the debutant reached his fifty. Earlier in the series, Khan also hit a fifty in debut innings.
Devdutt Padikkal's induction, for the record, marked the fifth instance of India giving debut to a player in this series. Others are Dhruv Jurel, Rajat Patidar, and Akash Deep.
Padikkal got out in the 93rd over, bowled by Bashir. The left-handed batter made 65 off 103.
