Padikkal’s Third Ton in Four Puts Vijay Hazare in Selection Spotlight as Kohli Equals 1,000-Run Record

Overview

• Devdutt Padikkal struck 113 off 116 against Puducherry for his third century in four matches, taking his tally to 405 runs and setting up Karnataka’s 363/4 with a 228-run stand with Mayank Agarwal.
• Krunal Pandya powered Baroda to 417/4 with an unbeaten 109 off 63 in Rajkot, and Baroda later sealed a 37-run win over Hyderabad.
• Virat Kohli became the joint-fastest to 1,000 Vijay Hazare Trophy runs, matching Padikkal at 15 innings after scores of 131 and 77 on his return for Delhi.
• DDCA president Rohan Jaitley confirmed Kohli’s availability for Delhi’s January 6 fixture against Railways.
• The selectors have yet to name India’s squad for the January 11 ODI series against New Zealand, with Padikkal’s form drawing consideration as Shreyas Iyer’s fitness remains uncertain.