Is Devdutt Padikkal India’s future T20I middle-order batter? Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) mentor Dinesh Karthik certainly believes so, with the former India wicketkeeper saying on Monday (April 6) that the 25-year-old left-hander will be ‘difficult to keep out’ of the national set-up.
Padikkal has transformed his game under Karthik’s guidance, becoming a completely different player from the one who played two T20Is for India as part of a second-string team in 2021. After five seasons of mediocre performances for multiple franchises in the IPL, he scored at a strike rate of 150.61 in the last season for RCB, before taking it up a notch in IPL 2026 — 111 runs in two matches at 201.82.
“The first thing that stands out is his determination. On a pitch like this, when runs don’t come easily at the start, many batters try to force a big shot and end up giving their wicket away. Devdutt showed great courage to stay patient when the going was tough,” Karthik told Star Sports.
“Once he got that first boundary, you could see him switch gears. He’s playing proper cricketing shots and hitting the ball with distance. If he continues batting like this, it will be difficult to keep him out of the Indian team for long. He has scored heavily in domestic cricket, and we know he’s a quality player.”
“What’s also impressive is the way he’s stepping up as a leader in the Karnataka dressing room. Even at 25, he contributes with his ideas and leadership, and that’s great to see,” Karthik added.
