Virender Sehwag backs Devdutt Padikkal to replace Shikhar Dhawan in future

Over the course of time, it has been evident that India has a strong bench strength to rely on. It is a good headache for the selectors to have as it exemplifies the amount of talent the country beholds. The white ball series between India and Sri Lanka was highly anticipated as the team under the watchful eyes of Rahul Dravid had a good mix of experience and youngsters. Amongst them, the former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag has expressed his opinions on Devdutt Padikkal.

After Krunal Pandya tested positive for Covid, along with him 8 players had to undergo quarantine owing to precautionary measures. This led India to make as many as seven changes in the side with four debutants paving their path to take the charge of the field. Virender Sehwag was, however, impressed with the way Devdutt Padikkal approached the game and he thus asserted that Padikkal can be an ideal replacement for Shikhar Dhawan in the future.

“I really want to see him perform because the way he played a couple of innings, struck a century in the IPL, we saw some brilliant batting. When Shikhar Dhawan goes, he would be the right replacement for him. The only thing is that I want these Indian youngsters to first get opportunities in the sub-continent, because then when he goes to England, Australia or South Africa, there is confidence behind him.” Sehwag told Cricbuzz.

Virender Sehwag heaped praises on Devdutt Padikkal

IPL has played a major role in providing a platform to the players to exude their sheer flair. Every year there comes a name that catches everyone’s attention and then cements their place into the side. Devdutt Padikkal had impressed everybody in the IPL with his belligerent display with the willow.

Playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, he put up some good performances whilst opening for the team. Virender Sehwag pinned his hopes on Padikkal stating that he can be a future star and also advised him on his shot selection.

“If he performs, it will help his confidence and he can be a future star. He has that talent based on what I’ve seen in his batting. There’s no better thing than him getting an opportunity against Sri Lanka. He just needs to keep a little bit of patience and needs to be careful with his shot selection.” he added.