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 Stadium. Replacing an injured Sai Sudharsan at No. 3, he scored his maiden Test century before rain and bad light stopped play.
The highlight of Padikkal’s knock was the way he neutralized Sri Lanka’s spinners using sweeps, punches and attacking shots off the backfoot.
Speaking on Sony Sports, former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara praised Padikkal’s hard work but he noted that the true assessment of southpaw’s long-term spot at No. 3 would come during India's subsequent away series in New Zealand, where the overseas playing conditions are traditionally much tougher for batters.
"You can judge a player slightly more based on how he bats in overseas conditions. These conditions were definitely easy. I wouldn't want to take the credit away from him at all because it's difficult to score a hundred even if the conditions are easy. The first century is extremely special," Pujara said.
"So this is extremely crucial for his career, but it will be a different challenge for him in New Zealand. If he scores runs there, the slight No. 3 problem India has would be solved. However, given the way he has improved his game, we would want to see him getting a slightly longer run," he added.
Pujara believes Padikkal must have been under pressure heading into the Galle Test, highlighting the heavy expectations tied to the spot regardless of a player's recent domestic or international form.
"It was an excellent performance. The pressure is definitely there, no matter how good a form a batter might be coming in with. When he got this chance to bat at No. 3 in Test cricket, there was pressure on him to perform, and he showed that by doing it," he stated.
Pujara credited the success to 18 months of rigorous technical adjustments in Devdutt Padikkal's game.
"We are all praising his performance, but the hard work he has put in behind it to bring the improvement that was required in his batting, this is the result of that. The reason for the performance is that he has worked a lot in the last one to one-and-a-half years," he remarked.
