Padikkal was named Player-of-the-Series after scoring 328 runs in two Tests against Sri Lanka.
India won the two-Test series 1-0 against Sri Lanka after the second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) in Colombo ended in a draw on Thursday (August 27).
Riding on Sonal Dinusha’s unbeaten 133, the hosts finished their second innings at 429/9 in 154 overs after being forced to follow-on, securing a hard-fought draw.
Devdutt Padikkal was named Player-of-the-Series after scoring 328 runs at a staggering average of 109.33, which included centuries in both matches.
The southpaw grabbed his opportunity at one-drop after Sai Sudharsan was ruled out of the series with a toe injury. He also earned the Player-of-the-Match in the first Test as India won the game by 195 runs.
Speaking during the post-match presentation, Padikkal expressed satisfaction with his performance, though he feels a win in the final game would have been better.
“Yeah, it feels great. Again, it would have been better if we got the win in this game as well. But at the end of the day, I'm happy that I could contribute,” Padikkal said.
He noted that the Galle and SSC pitches were quite similar and slow, but praised batters for improving their adaptability on such tracks.
“I think it was quite similar, to be honest. Not much change. It was pretty slow here as well. But I think at the end of the day, the batters got better at playing on such surfaces, and I think that showed in the last couple of days,” Padikkal stated.
The left-hander emphasized that success against quality spin requires clear plans and good application from the batters.
“Yeah, definitely. It takes a lot of clarity. I think you need to have clear plans when you go out there. I think there's been a lot of chat back in the dressing room as well as to how we want to play spin, how we want to tackle spin. I think everyone came with their own plans, and I think the way the batsmen applied themselves showed out there,” he explained.
Padikkal stressed that selection is outside a player's control, meaning the focus must remain on hard work, readiness, and supporting teammates.
“[On returning to the Test side after being away for a while] Again, you always want to play. You want to represent your country. You have to keep working hard. That's the only thing that's in your control. The XI is not in your control. You have to keep trying to help your teammates out whenever you get that opportunity. You have to make sure that you're ready for it, and I'm happy that I was able to do that,” he remarked.
Devdutt Padikkal was dropped early in his innings but quickly brushed off the mistake. He capitalised on the second chance to smash 117 runs, marking his second consecutive Test century after a brilliant 167 in the first Test at Galle.
“[On getting a life early in his innings and how he recovered from it] Yeah, that's part of the game. Honestly, it's important that you forget that as fast as possible. There's a lot of time left in the game, and it's important that you move on to the next ball, and that's what I tried to do,” he said.
Since the phasing out of Cheteshwar Pujara in 2023, the Indian Test team heavily experimented to find a stable No. 3 batter, cycling through multiple players including Shubman Gill and Sudharsan.
Despite doing well at one-down spot, Padikkal is open to bat at any position for the team. “Honestly, I'm just happy to score runs. It doesn't matter where I do it. It can be at number 3. It can be anywhere else. It doesn't matter. Honestly, for me it's important that the team wins, and as long as I'm contributing to those wins, I'm happy,” he said.
Padikkal highlighted the youthful nature of the squad and the necessity for continuous growth ahead of upcoming away assignments, such as the tour of New Zealand.
“Yeah, lots of work to do. I think, as you can see, it's a very young side. It's important that we continue to learn. There's a lot of evolving left to do in every single one of us, and I think everyone is really hungry and looking forward to doing that, and I'm sure we'll continue to improve and have some good games ahead,” he concluded.