Devdutt Padikkal hit an unbeaten 131 on Day 1 of Galle Test against Sri Lanka.
Devdutt Padikkal hit an unbeaten 131 to lead India to 288/2 in 73 overs on Day 1 of the first Test against Sri Lanka at the Galle International Cricket Stadium. Replacing an injured Sai Sudharsan at No. 3, he scored his maiden Test century before rain and bad light stopped play.
Padikkal’s knock stood out for his array of strokes against Sri Lanka’s pace and spin attack. He was able to neutralize their premier spinner Prabath Jayasuriya, using sweeps, punches and attacking shots to good effect.
After the day’s play, India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak commended the southpaw for working on his back foot game and overall shot selection.
“I am so happy for him because he was actually waiting for his opportunity. The way he played here and in the warm-up match, it's really encouraging,” Kotak said in the post-day press conference.
“Preparation, I would say, overall the way Devdutt, was preparing and I saw it in the NCA (BCCI CoE)…he was working on his back foot game. We try that when we expect a turn from a pitch.
“We also tried to work on step-out, sweep besides the back foot game. So, a lot of credit goes to him, the way he has prepared himself for the last couple of years,” he added.
Padikkal's maiden Test ton does not lock him into a fixed batting spot. The team management views both him and Sudharsan as flexible top-order options, prioritizing adaptability to match conditions and situations over strict positional labels like No. 3 or 4.
“I think Devdutt batted really well. So Sai also has been batting really well at that number. But the thing is they all are new ball batsmen. So they open, they go number three, so, we are very flexible.
“But I would look at the way they bat, how they are adapting to conditions, how they are dealing with the different stages of a match, and that is very important for me rather than number three or four or five,” he stated.
Padikkal built a solid 150-run stand for the second wicket along with KL Rahul, who batted brilliantly for his 77 before retiring hurt due to severe cramps.
Rishabh Pant (27*) joined Padikkal to guide India comfortably through the remainder of the evening session after skipper Shubman Gill was dismissed for 16. The visiting batters will look to capitalise on their strong position when play resumes on Sunday morning.
Sri Lanka's spin and fielding coach Jordan Gregory commended Padikkal and Rahul for taking the game to the hosts.
“I think firstly, credit to Padikkal. I think that he batted superbly today and so did KL. Unfortunate for him to get injured,” Gregory told reporters.
He was also pleased to see debutant off-spinner Keshara Nuwantha holding his own against Indian batters.
“It's very encouraging to see that Kesh on his debut had asked a lot of questions and created a lot of opportunities.
“So credit to him. I could imagine there may have been a couple of nerves from his side. But I'm very proud of him and the way he bowled on his debut,” Gregory added.
(With PTI Inputs)