"I’ve always enjoyed seeing Padikkal" - Ex-South African captain suggests more chances for youngster after IND vs SA 2025 Test series

Former South African captain Shaun Pollock expects more chances to be given to Devdutt Padikkal after India's ongoing two-Test series against the Proteas. Although the southpaw did not play either of the two Tests, Pollock revealed that he has always enjoyed seeing the left-hander bat.

The 25-year-old has played only two Tests so far, having made his red-ball debut against England in March 2024 in Dharamsala. Although the left-hander scored a composed 65, he endured a poor outing in Perth against Australia, managing only 25 runs across two innings.

When asked by Murali Kartik whether he would make any changes to the Indian team, Pollock said he doesn't feel anything strongly. However, the 52-year-old opined that the Asian Giants need a reliable batter amid their struggles. He told Cricbuzz:

"I’m not too sure, I’ve always enjoyed seeing Padikkal, I suppose he’s the one batter who’s sitting on the outside looking in. There’s nothing that jumps out at me. We’ve seen these young guys and what they’ve done in the IPL. I know it’s a completely different format. As foreigners from the outside, we’ve always been, ‘Geez, you guys have got some batting depth. Look at these young guys, they come in and come out and perform and do whatever.’ You have a team that’s playing Test cricket and the T20 side goes on a different tour, produces and play A sides."

"So, it’s come as a bit of a surprise. It’s a wonderful time to be an Indian batter because if you put your hand up, like Shubman Gill has done, and say, ‘hey back me and produce’, then you can make a real name for yourself. All of a sudden, India is calling out for someone or people that can be reliable with the bat in a longer format," he added.

With South Africa racking up 489 in the first innings of the second Test in Guwahati, India struggled on Day 3 as Marco Jansen's six-for blew them away for 201, conceding a 288-run lead. Although Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a brisk 58, the home side collapsed from 95/2 to 122/7. A 72-run partnership between Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar restored some control.

"They’ve been found wanting" - Shaun Pollock on India's young batting line-up against South Africa

The former South African captain reckons that India's youngsters haven't stood up to fill the void left by the predecessors. He also pointed out that the hosts dearly missed Shubman Gill, who couldn't play in Guwahati due to a neck spasm.

"It’s a case in point. I think often teams in transition, you talk about Sharma, Kohli stopping and the people waiting in the wings and people go, “Oh, get them in, they should be playing’. Eventually, they’re given that opportunity but they have to show their ability to handle what’s thrown at them at the international level. Unfortunately, in this series, they’ve been found wanting," he said in the same conversation.

"I think you’ve definitely missed Shubman Gill. Even when he came to the crease in Kolkata for 3-4 balls, you just got the feeling, ‘whoops, South Africa have got a battle on their hands’. To have missed their key player at number four, the amount of runs he’s been able to accumulate has been a massive loss," he added.

Pollock also pointed out the muddled thinking in India's batting line-up, claiming that high-quality teams have well-defined roles. However, the retired South African expects the Asian Giants to do better in the fourth innings.

"But obviously Sudharsan comes in, Sundar goes down - he was three, now he’s there. It just doesn’t seem settled. We all know quality teams often have very settled batting line-ups and that allows people to identify roles, play it accordingly. You also don’t want a feeling to be created where people are playing for spots, people who know they are in the team tend to perform better. Whereas when people on the outside are coming in, getting a chance here or there, they may play according to that scenario where they are not feeling settled or comfortable," he said.

"It just honestly hasn’t been good enough for now. I’m looking forward to seeing what they do in the second innings because it’s been three below-par innings. There’s enough talent there to suggest that shouldn’t be the case. They should be better but I think conditions are going to be difficult in the second innings," Pollock concluded.

With South Africa already holding a 314-run lead, India will have their task cut out in the fourth innings as the target could be well above 450.