**Devdutt Padikkal Completes 3,000 First-Class Runs with 7th Century**
*Stats & Highlights*
*By Rajdeep Saha | Sep 19, 2025*
Karnataka’s Devdutt Padikkal made a stunning return to the India A circuit with an impressive century against Australia A in Lucknow. The left-handed batsman resumed his innings at an overnight score of 86 and reached his hundred early on the fourth morning. This was Padikkal’s seventh First-Class (FC) century and helped him surpass the 3,000-run milestone in FC cricket.
### Strong Team Effort and Crucial Partnership with Dhruv Jurel
Batting at number four, Padikkal shared a solid partnership with India A wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel. When Jurel joined Padikkal, India A stood at 222/4. The duo then added an impressive 228-run stand for the fifth wicket, steering India A in response to Australia A’s first innings total of 532/6 declared.
Under pressure, Jurel counter-attacked brilliantly, scoring a century off just 114 balls. He finished with 140 runs from 197 deliveries, complementing Padikkal’s innings expertly.
### Padikkal’s Knock: 150 Runs
Padikkal made his innings count with a commanding 150 runs off 281 balls, including 14 fours and one six. After Jurel’s dismissal, Padikkal added useful partnerships of 41 runs with Tanush Kotian and 29 runs alongside Harsh Dubey before he was eventually dismissed. India A’s score was 520/7 at the time, with Corey Rocchiccioli claiming Padikkal’s wicket.
Currently, the play stands at 532/7 as rain has interrupted the match.
### Milestone Achievement: 3,000 First-Class Runs
Playing his 45th First-Class match, Padikkal has now surged past 3,000 FC runs. He currently holds 3,038 runs at a batting average above 42. He has registered 7 centuries and 18 fifties to date. Out of his total FC runs, 90 have come from representing Team India in 2 Test matches.
### Career Highlights and Recent Form
At just 25 years old, Padikkal has already carved out a reputation in the cricketing world. This match marked only his second competitive outing after the Indian Premier League 2025 season, where he featured for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Earlier this month, he signaled his comeback in First-Class cricket with a half-century and an unbeaten 16 runs during the Duleep Trophy semi-final in Bengaluru.
### International Journey: Test Debut and Challenges
Padikkal made his Test debut against England in Dharamsala last year, scoring a promising half-century. However, his next Test came during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 opener against Australia in Perth, where he struggled—registering a duck in the first innings and 25 runs in the second.
Following this performance, Padikkal was dropped from the playing XI for the remainder of the tour and subsequently missed India’s England tour this June.
—
Devdutt Padikkal’s recent performance signals a strong revival in his career with the potential for greater contributions at the domestic and international levels in the near future.
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/sports/padikkal-gets-to-this-massive-fc-milestone-with-defiant-150/story
