RCB batter identified as India’s new no.3 in Tests; Know here

An RCB player is the frontrunner to be India’s new No. 3 batsman in tests.

The Indian Cricket Team underwent a massive overhaul in Tests last year following the retirement of stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Shubman Gill was appointed as the new Test captain of India with Rishabh Pant being named as his deputy.

India made a spectacular start to their new era in Tests, levelling a five-match test series in England. They also beat West Indies at home, but looked clueless in their last campaign against South Africa at home. They lost both games and suffered a humiliating whitewash, which raised a lot of questions about future.

While the youngsters have shown lot of promise, one of the concerns for team has been their number three batter. The Shubman Gill-led side has struggled to find a reliable batsman at number three with Karun Nair, Sai Sudharsan, and Washington Sundar being given opportunities; however, none of them could deliver an impressive performance.

With ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final 2025-27 spot on the line, selectors are keen to find a reliable No.3 batter for the Indian Test team. According to a report, a Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) player has been identified as the new number three batsman for the longest format of the game.

Devdutt Padikkal to be India’s new No.3 batter in Tests- Report

According to a report by Cric Blogger, RCB batsman Devdutt Padikkal is expected to be India’s new number three batter in Tests. India will play a one-off test with Afghanistan next month and Padikkal might be tried at the No.3 slot during the campaign.

The left-handed batsman has impressed with his performance in IPL 2026. With 328 runs in 11 games at an average of 36.44 and a strike rate of 176.34, he is the second-highest run-scorer for the team.

Padikkal has hammered three half-centuries and played a pivotal role in RCB’s victories in a few games. Batting at number three, he has provided quickfire starts to the side in a few games.

Padikkal delivered an impressive performance for Karnataka in Ranji Trophy earlier this year. He scored 543 runs in six matches at an average of 60.33, including two centuries and one half-century. Karnataka ended up as runners-up after losing the final to Jammu & Kashmir.

Meanwhile, Padikkal has featured in two tests so far, one each against England and Australia in 2024. He also captains Karnataka in domestic cricket and has played 54 First-Class matches, scoring over 3500 runs at an average of 42.67 with nine centuries and 19 half-centuries.

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