Former South Africa and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter AB de Villiers heaped praise on Devdutt Padikkal after the southpaw slammed his maiden Test hundred against Sri Lanka at Galle International Stadium.
Replacing injured Sai Sudharsan at the crucial No. 3 position, Padikkal delivered a stellar knock of 167 runs, which propelled the visitors to a commanding 460/9 at stumps on Day 2.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, de Villiers commended his former RCB teammate for his composure, skill against the short ball, and grounded personality during their time playing together in the IPL.
"I loved batting with him in 2020 and 2021 because he's a left-hander. A tall bloke that plays the short ball pretty well, considering he's from the subcontinent. He's one of the new generation modern Indian batters who can play the short ball really well. I also enjoyed batting with him because he was so cool, calm, and collected. He was down to earth and would take my advice in and wasn't one of those cocky players who would turn his back on me," de Villiers said.
"We strategized out there in the middle, and I loved chatting to him about our next moves. We took some of the bowlers apart by rotating strike as a left-right combination. He would tell me the bowlers he wanted to attack, and I would do the same, and that's how we completed our partnership," he added.
De Villiers endorsed India's decision to pick Padikkal over Sarfaraz Khan for the No. 3 slot in the opening Test against Sri Lanka.
Leading into the Test, there was a heavy debate over who should occupy the top-order slot vacated by the Sudharsan. The ex-Proteas skipper had leaned toward Padikkal for his calm demeanor, balanced left-handed technique, and mastery over both spin and seam.
Making his first Test appearance since November 2024, Padikkal justified the faith by smashing a stunning hundred.
"This is why I was erring towards Padikkal over Sarfaraz pre-match. Padikkal has the ability to bat for long periods of time and also attack if need be. Especially in Sri Lanka, it's important to have an all-round specialist batter who can play spin and seam well but also bat for long periods like him. He also can pounce on the smaller moments and force the opposition captains to change things. That's exactly what Padikkal did with his phenomenal hundred," de Villiers remarked.
With this knock, Devdutt Padikkal became only the second Indian left-hander this century to score a Test hundred batting at No. 3, following Sourav Ganguly (who did so in 2002). This innings of him also marked the first Test ton by Indian No. 3 since Shubman Gill’s 119 against Bangladesh in September 2024.
