Devdutt Padikkal will stay back in Australia and is not a part of the India A team that flies back home on Monday. This after the news that captain Rohit Sharma and opener Shubman Gill are most likely to be ruled out of the Test series opener in Perth, starting on Friday.
According to the Cricbuzz report, the Indian team management, in talks with the national selectors, has decided to retain the Karnataka batter as a cover for the senior team.
The batting back-up is Padikkal, who has just batted for 36, 88, 26 and 1 in unofficial Tests against Australia A. These performances alone might not have qualified him for selection to the national team, but management will like him for his experience and exposure to Australian conditions. He has played his one Test against England earlier this year and also got game time in T20Is.
Gill has been ruled out of the series opener with a fractured thumb, and captain Rohit, who was supposed to be around for the birth of his second child, is unlikely to make it to this game either. The other casualty is KL Rahul, who has an elbow injury, although he batted through most of a three-day match simulation at the WACA on Sunday.
His travel plans are not yet confirmed and that his wife has just delivered a child, his trip to Australia has been postponed and hence, going for the first Test is uncertain. BCCI does not look at sending Mohammed Shami to Australia right away.
Shami returned to competitive cricket after a one-year hiatus, turning out for Bengal against Madhya Pradesh in a Ranji Trophy match in Indore on the eve of their National Cricket Camp. However, the team feels that he needs to have more match practice at the domestic level before he is considered for a recall. Shami is likely to play for Bengal in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament, which starts this week.
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