'Padikkal is a top-class player at the international level...': Dilip Vengsarkar on Devdutt

India’s Devdutt Padikkal during his 44 on Day 4 of the first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle on Tuesday. Pic/BCCI

Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar has rated India's new No. 3 batter Devdutt Padikkal, 26, very highly. Vengsarkar, a former national chief selector, revealed that the BCCI ignored his suggestion to invest in Padikkal and Sarfaraz Khan, costing the duo valuable years in the early stage of their careers.

On Wednesday, Padikkal played a key role in India's 165-run victory over Sri Lanka in the Galle Test, scoring 167 and 44 to be named Player of the Match.

"Padikkal is a top-class player at the international level. There's no question about it. If you [selectors] feel he's good enough, he should be given a long rope. It will be a good investment for India. He has grabbed this opportunity and I'm very happy for him. He played really well. This can only be good for Indian cricket," Vengsarkar told mid-day on Thursday.

Dilip Vengsarkar. Pic/Shadab Khan

Padikkal has played three Tests and two T20Is so far. Vengsarkar recalled speaking to then BCCI president Roger Binny after Padikkal made his Test debut against England in Dharamsala in March 2024.

"I saw Padikkal [score 65] and Sarfaraz Khan [score 56] build a match-winning partnership [97 runs for the fourth wicket] against England in Dharamsala. Both played very well in a crucial session and we won that Test by an innings and 64 runs. I was a BCCI Apex Council member then and remember telling Roger Binny to invest in both Padikkal and Sarfaraz as they are the future of Indian cricket. I don't know if he conveyed my thoughts to the selectors, but unfortunately, other batters were tried instead, and these two ended up losing a couple of years. Otherwise, both would have gone places," said Vengsarkar, a veteran of 116 Tests.

Explaining his faith in the duo, Vengsarkar added: "They had that match-winning stand when India were struggling. They batted well against a quality bowling attack led by James Anderson and Ben Stokes. That partnership at a crucial juncture showed their class and temperament."

‘Tall Paddikal is equally good on front and back foot'

Dilip Vengsarkar, who was equally adept on both the front and back foot, feels Devdutt Padikkal enjoys a similar advantage given his six-foot-three frame. "When you're tall, you have a stride, so you can either go on the front foot or back foot. You can play on both when the ball is turning. When Sunil Gavaskar [who was much shorter] used to bat against spin, he stepped out to play his shots, but despite having a similar stride and height, Gundappa Viswanath used to play on the back foot. I also had the advantage of my height [six foot], so I could play on the front foot without stepping out because of my stride, while also being comfortable on the back foot. Padikkal is similar" Vengsarkar said.