Padikkal repaid faith of the team management by delivering a stellar knock of 167 runs.
Stepped in at number three due to an injury to Sai Sudharsan, the southpaw repaid faith of the team management by delivering a stellar knock of 167 runs.
Speaking on Sony Sports, Jadeja commended Padikkal's flawless technique, noting that he played purely on merit, stayed patient, and made the difficult art of batting look completely effortless.
"You can call it pure batting. He stuck with his approach and game from the first ball. It's not like he played differently after the hundred. He played each ball on merit. He defended when required and attacked when required. We saw a pure batter playing. Pleasing to the eye. It seems like batting is so easy when he is playing shots," Jadeja said.
"The partner also feels he is playing so easily. I like him a lot as a player. I have been waiting since I saw him four or five years ago. Better late than never. There was no talk about him one match ago. He came in when someone got injured. I feel the more quality bowling comes, the more you will appreciate this batter," he added.
Ex-India batter Mohammad Kaif, who was also part of the discussion panel, lauded Devdutt Padikkal’s flawless backfoot play during his maiden Test century.
"He is a good back-foot player. He remains more on the back foot. He got out on the front foot, not off the back foot. He scored 100 runs off the back foot. He uses the bottom hand well. The grip is low when he holds the bat," Kaif stated.
Kaif emphasized that strong backfoot technical skills are exactly what Indian batters need to succeed on bouncy pitches in England and Australia.
"Whenever the two hands are close, you will have more control over the bat, especially for cuts and pulls. Back-foot play comes extremely handy when you go to Australia or England. Fantastic knock, and this was the perfect approach in a Test match," he remarked.
Coming to the match, India’s first innings folded for 462 early in the morning session on Day 3. While Padikkal stole the show a brilliant ton, KL Rahul (82) and Dhruv Jurel (51) scored vital half-centuries.
Prabath Jayasuriya was the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka, returning with the figures of 4 for 109 in his 39 overs.
In reply, the hosts were reeling at 99/5 at lunch, with India’s spin trio of Manav Suthar, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja combining to claim four wickets.