3 min readUpdated: Aug 12, 2026 10:11 PM IST
Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers has leaned towards Devdutt Padikkal playing at number three for India in the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka. The 42-year-old said that the left-hander had an edge over someone like Sarfaraz Khan as he was calmer than the Mumbai right-hander.
Padikkal staked his claim to bat at number three, after scoring an unbeaten 142 in the first innings of the warm-up match against Sri Lanka Cricket XI.
“One question mark around that number three batting spot, with either Sarfaraz Khan or Devdutt Padikkal having to put up their hand for that spot. I’m leaning towards Padikkal, a left-hander, really solid technique. He just comes across as a guy who can bat for long periods of time. Sarfaraz is more the exciting kind of candidate,” de Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
“He can take the game away from the opposition. He hits in funny areas, and he always keeps the captain on their toes. It’s a difficult decision to make here. I think what the coach will look at is, Gautam Gambhir will look at the make-up of the side and the balance. Do we need more of an exciting prospect at number three who can take the game away and take it on, or do we need more of a consistent player in Padikkal, a left-hander, always nice to have right-left-hand combinations, especially with spinners on turning wickets? I’m leaning towards that more of a conservative option, a guy with more of a calmer demeanour who can just slow the game down and also be attacking, if need be,” he added.
De Villiers also felt that India still had a strong squad despite Jasprit Bumrah’s absence and added that they may have to win eight out of the remaining nine Tests to qualify for the final.
“With no Jasprit Bumrah, he will be unavailable for this series. We’re looking at the squad. It’s a relatively strong squad. We can have a look at that quickly and see if India can make a run for it. They’ll have to win around eight out of the nine Test matches that they have remaining in the WTC standings,” he added.
India have nine Tests remaining – two in Sri Lanka, two in New Zealand and five at home against Australia. Winning all nine remaining Tests would take India to 74.07%. Seven wins and two draws would take them to 66.67%.
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They first face Sri Lanka away, then New Zealand away, before the five-Test home series against Australia. The five-Test home series against Australia offers India their best opportunity to gain points.
