India A Series Could Shape Ruturaj Gaikwad And Devdutt Padikkal’s ODI Cases

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devdutt Padikkal have a great List A cricket. Image Credits: AFPIndia’s batting options in ODIs are more or less settled, with the top five picking themselves automatically. For a specialist batter, it’s hard to break into the XI, and it will remain so until the next World Cup in 2027. However, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal are backups; the latter is designated No.4 in Shreyas Iyer’s absence.He played all the matches in the South Africa series late last year when Iyer was out injured, and now against West Indies, as Iyer was away with the T20I team at the Asian Games 2026. While he did reasonably well against South Africa, he looked scratchy against West Indies. A times, he was too sedate, even on flat pitches, and couldn’t make the most of a rare chance to bat deep in the final game, despite four lifelines.Ruturaj Gaikwad needs to prove himself againList A record of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devdutt PadikkalRuturaj Gaikwad hasn’t done particularly wrong in ODIs. Across 11 innings, he has 329 runs at an average of 36.55 and a strike rate of 86.80, with two fifties and a century. He’s had to get out of his comfort zone at the top and bat in the middle order, but Gaikwad has been reasonably consistent.But such is the competition in the Indian team that even a couple of failures put a player down in the pecking order. In that aspect, the final ODI in New Chandigarh was vital for Gaikwad. And while he did score a half-century, he never really got going.BCCI @BCCI Acceleration mode 🔛 Ruturaj Gaikwad timing them to perfection 😎 1⃣5⃣0⃣ partnership comes up for the third wicket 🙌 Updates ▶️ Dec 3, 2025, 3:48 PM He earned four reprieves on his way and hardly looked comfortable, despite the early movement subsiding quickly. A big score here could have helped him keep his spot as a backup whenever the next chance arrived.But Shreyas Iyer will return for the next assignment, and whenever India need a backup, Gaikwad won’t be a sure starter. For instance, Ishan Kishan might be tried in the middle order next time since he can also act as a floater like Gaikwad and provide a wicketkeeping option.Also Read: Prasidh Krishna Out For Three Weeks, Uncertain For New Zealand ODIs- ReportIn that sense, Ruturaj Gaikwad would want to prove himself worthy again in the India A series in Puducherry. He will likely slot in the middle order since there are multiple top-order batters. As a captain, he needs to step up with big scores, so when the next opportunity comes, he has runs to back his case.Devdutt Padikkal could also be in the mixDevdutt Padikkal in IPL since 2025While an unrealistic move for now, Devdutt Padikkal is another batter apart from Ishan Kishan who could be in contention for a backup role. He has done reasonably well in this format in recent times and boasts a magnificent record in List A cricket.The southpaw has 2796 runs at a marvellous average of 82.23 and a strike rate of 92.61 in 41 List A innings. This includes 14 fifties and 13 centuries. He’s among the elite 50-over batters in domestic cricket.During the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025/26, Padikkal amassed 725 runs at an average of 90.52 and a strike rate of 98.24 in nine outings for Karnataka. He also hit four centuries in the tournament.IndianPremierLeague @IPL Class meets Power 🤝 🎥 Devdutt Padikkal leaves his mark in the chase with 2 stunning sixes 👌 Scorecard ▶️ Apr 27, 2026, 10:03 PM More importantly, Padikkal has worked heavily on his white-ball game, with conscious efforts to increase his strike rate and bat with more intent. He has more range and gear now.The results have also been visible in the last couple of IPL seasons with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Since IPL 2025, Devdutt Padikkal has struck at 161.96 while hitting a boundary every 4.02 deliveries. At times, he has had to play in various situations, but he didn’t compromise his scoring rate and did the heavy lifting from No.3.Against pace in particular, Padikkal has shown tremendous strokeplay and a wide range in this period. He has a strike rate of 175.54 and a balls-per-boundary ratio of 3.43 against them. He now stands in a more upright stance and starts with a higher backlift, allowing him to counter short balls and access the square of the wicket more actively.More importantly, Padikkal is an LHB and can be flexible with his batting position. He can bat anywhere from opening to No.4 and understands how to pace the innings. That’s a massive advantage.India’s current top six in a full-strength ODI XI are all RHBs, which could make the lineup one-dimensional. While they bring their own strengths, Gautam Gambhir’s management likes having a few southpaws in the middle order. At times, they have tried Washington Sundar and Axar Patel up the order for the same reason.So, if Padikkal remains in the mix, he could bring an LHB variety and be a better backup than Gaikwad. His recent form, including in Tests for India, has been top-notch. The India A series is equally important for him, and strong performances here could well take him closer to the ODI setup out of nowhere.ALSO READWatch- Prabhsimran Singh, Nishant Sindhu Get In Nasty Collision On The Field