VHT: Devdutt Padikkal hammers his fourth hundred in five innings
What's the story
Devdutt Padikkal, the batting sensation from Karnataka, continues to tumble records in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26. On Saturday, the left-handed batter brought up his fourth hundred across five innings in the season. His latest ton came against Tripura at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. This was overall Padikkal's 13th hundred in the List A format. Here are his stats.
Knock
A fine knock on a tricky surface
Batting first, Karnataka lost two wickets with just six runs on the board. Opener Padikkal then steadied the ship with a 136-run stand with Smaran Ravichandran. The former further recorded 50-plus partnerships with KL Rahul and Abhinav Manohar en route to his ton. Padikkal eventually departed for a 120-ball 108, having smashed eight fours and three sixes. His brilliance meant Karnataka finished at 332/7.
Campaign
Four tons in five matches
Padikkal is the leading run-scorer in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, amassing 514 runs from five games at an average and strike rate of over 100. The Karnataka batter started his campaign with a 147-run knock against Jharkhand. He then scored a match-winning 124 against Kerala. After managing just 22 runs against Tamil Nadu, he made 113 versus Puducherry.
DYK
Padikkal only behind these names
Each of Padikkal's 13 List A tons has come in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (33 innings). As per ESPNcricinfo, the southpaw is now the batter with the third-most tons in VHT history. He broke the tie with his current skipper, Mayank Agarwal, who boasts 12 tons. Meanwhile, Padikkal is now only behind Ankit Bawne (15) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (14) on this list.
Career
Over 2,500 runs at an average of 82-plus
According to ESPNcricinfo, Padikkal now has 13 tons and 12 fifties across 37 innings in List A cricket. With his latest knock, the southpaw has now raced to 2,585 runs, as his average reads a jaw-dropping 82-plus. His stunning run can earn him a maiden ODI cap in the upcoming home series against New Zealand, starting on January 11.