NEW DELHI: Out-of-favour India batter Devdutt Padikkal is enjoying a rich vein of form, piling up runs effortlessly and recording his fifth fifty-plus score in just six innings in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, firmly etching his name in the record books.

The Karnataka batter created history by becoming the first player to score 600-plus runs in three different editions of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, achieving the milestone during his 91-run knock off 82 balls against Rajasthan in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.

The left-handed batter has so far slammed four centuries in the tournament, scoring 147 against Jharkhand, 124 versus Kerala, 113 against Puducherry, and 108 versus Tripura. He endured a rare failure against Tamil Nadu, getting out for 22.

Padikkal's 13 centuries in 38 innings are already an extraordinary feat, surpassed only by Maharashtra's Ankeet Bawane (15 in 99 matches) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (14 in 57 matches). Yet Padikkal has carved out his own record in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, reaching over 600 runs in just six innings - a remarkable display of consistency and dominance.

The left-hander made his List A debut for Karnataka in 2018 and quickly established himself as a force in the tournament. In only his second season, the 2019-20 edition, he scored 609 runs in 11 innings. He then outdid himself in 2020-21, amassing 737 runs in just eight innings, including an incredible streak of four consecutive centuries.

Despite his dominant run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Padikkal was once again left out of India's ODI squad for the three-match series against New Zealand starting January 11.

Outside of his VHT exploits, Padikkal has limited experience in the 50-over format, having played just two games for India A and three innings in the 2023 zonal Deodhar Trophy.