Devdutt Padikkal hits Test century at No.3 in Galle; Shubman Gill was last Indian to do so

Devdutt Padikkal scored a century for India in the first innings of the opening Test against Sri Lanka at Galle International Stadium on August 15, 2026, after captain Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to bat.

India began with a 47-run opening stand before Yashasvi Jaiswal was run out for 32 off 37, which brought Padikkal to the crease at No.3; Padikkal was playing only his third Test, had struck a century in the warm-up match and was selected at No.3 following an injury to Sai Sudharsan.

Padikkal and KL Rahul combined for a second-wicket partnership of 150 runs, with Rahul contributing 77 off 162 before he retired hurt due to severe muscle cramps; Padikkal continued and reached triple figures while maintaining pressure on the Sri Lankan attack.

Padikkal’s hundred is the first Test century by an Indian at the No.3 position since September 2024, when current Test captain Shubman Gill scored a century against Bangladesh.

The left-hander’s innings also made him only the second Indian left-hander to register a Test century at No.3, the other being Sourav Ganguly.

Since Cheteshwar Pujara was dropped from the team, India have tried seven different batters at No.3 across 19 Tests, producing a combined batting average of 27.28 from 35 innings; India have used the third-most number of No.3 batters since the ICC WTC final of 2023, behind England (10) and West Indies (9).

Padikkal’s century came in the first innings of the SL vs IND first Test.