Devdutt Padikkal, who replaced injured Shubman Gill in India’s playing XI for the Perth Test, was dismissed for a 23-ball duck, marking it the fourth-longest duck while batting at No.3 in Test history.
Padikkal, who made his debut earlier in the year against England, was a last-minute inclusion in India’s Test squad for the Australia tour. Gill injured his thumb while attempting a slip catch during India’s training, following which Padikkal, who was with the India A team earlier, was asked to stay back in Australia.
The left-hander walked out early after Yashasvi Jaiswal was also dismissed for a duck by Mitchell Starc, after facing eight deliveries. Padikkal held one end up briefly alongside KL Rahul, who replaced Rohit Sharma in the XI but was unable to get off the mark.
He was eventually dismissed for Josh Hazlewood, edging a good length ball to the wicketkeeper Alex Carey.
Yashasvi Jaiswal ☝️
— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) November 22, 2024
Devdutt Padikkal ☝️
Virat Kohli ☝️
India have lost three big wickets early in the innings😐#ViratKohli #YashasviJaiswal #India #Cricket #Tests pic.twitter.com/k0mbUfB5mv
It was the fourth-longest duck in the history of Test cricket while batting at the position, behind only Azhar Ali (32), Boeta Dippenaar (27) and Sanjay Manjrekar (25). The only other batters to face more than 20 balls for a duck are ‘Young Jack’ Hearne (22), Pat Pocock (21) and Asif Mujtaba.
Batters with most balls faced for a duck at No.3
| Player | Balls for duck | Match |
| Azhar Ali | 32 | PAK v ENG, 2010 |
| Boeta Dippenaar | 27 | SA v AUS, 2001 |
| Sanjay Manrekar | 25 | IND v SA, 1992 |
| Devdutt Padikkal | 23 | IND v AUS, 2024 |
| Young Jack' Hearne | 22 | ENG v AUS, 1924 |
| Pat Pocock | 21 | ENG v WI, 1984 |
| Asif Mujtaba | 21 | PAK v NZ, 1993 |
| Hamsie Cronje | 20 | SA v IND, 1993 |
| Athula Sanarasekera | 19 | SL v ENG, 1988 |
| Danny Morrison | 19 | NZ v ENG, 1992 |
Among all India batters who have batted in the top seven, Padikkal’s 23-ball stay at the crease is the fourth-longest for no runs scored. Suresh Raina and Rishabh Pant lead the list, batting 29 balls for a duck; the former getting on the list during The Oval Test in 2011 and the latter during India’s tour to England in 2018.
India batters in the top seven with most balls faced for a duck
| Batter | Balls faced for duck | Match |
| Suresh Raina | 29 | IND v ENG, 2011 |
| Rishabh Pant | 29 | IND v ENG, 2018 |
| Sanjay Manjrekar | 25 | IND v SA, 1992 |
| VVS Laxman | 24 | IND v ENG, 2008 |
| Devdutt Padikkal | 23 | IND v AUS, 2024 |
| Dattu Phadkar | 22 | IND v AUS, 1948 |
| Rahul Dravid | 19 | IND v ENG, 2008 |
| Mohinder Amarnath | 18 | IND v ENG, 1979 |
| Mohinder Amarnath | 17 | IND v AUS, 1977 |
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
