Devdutt Padikkal unbeaten 131 puts India 288/2 on Day 1 of first Test at Galle
Devdutt Padikkal scored an unbeaten 131 as India finished 288/2 on Day 1 of the first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle, with stumps drawn on a rain-affected day.
Padikkal, Test cap No. 314, has long been regarded as a promising talent who made his Test debut on March 7, 2024, and played his second Test that November before spending nearly two years on the sidelines. He earned a Test call-up after a century for Karnataka against Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy and originally debuted at No. 4 when Shubman Gill wanted to bat at No. 3, later moving to No. 3 when Gill was unavailable in Perth.
His career has been disrupted since his early promise: Padikkal made his T20I debut against Sri Lanka in 2021, then suffered a severe bout of COVID-19 and a persistent stomach condition that affected him for nearly two years, during which he lost weight and rhythm and endured difficult IPL seasons with Rajasthan Royals in 2022 and 2023. Even after re-entering the Test squad in March 2024 his early returns were modest, with just 90 runs across his first two Tests; the century at Galle came in only his third Test innings.
The resurgence was built on work at the BCCI's National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, a process India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak linked directly to Padikkal's performance in Galle. Kotak said: "I am so happy for him because he was actually waiting for his opportunity. The way he played here and in the warm-up match, it's really encouraging." He added: "The way Devdutt was preparing, and I saw it at the NCA, he was working on his back-foot game. We try that when we expect turn from a pitch. We also worked on stepping out and the sweep, besides the back-foot game. A lot of credit goes to him for how he's prepared himself over the last couple of years."
On the field Padikkal used the depth of the crease and stepped out against the spinners, charging Prabath Jayasuriya and lofting him over long-on for six while also employing the sweep. He drove his first delivery for four after Yashasvi Jaiswal was run out for 32, raced to 21 from 23 balls early on and, despite a few testing moments against turn including a chance off Nuwantha that dropped short, settled into a controlled innings that reached three figures from 134 balls; Gautam Gambhir watched from the balcony as Padikkal punched the air on reaching his century.
Leadership and opportunity both played roles in Padikkal's return. Former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad, who said he was part of the decision to hand Padikkal Karnataka captaincy in January, remarked: “In the last season, the domestic season I’m talking about, where he was given the captaincy, or handed over the captaincy, probably, I think, in January, I suppose, because I was part of that decision-making. And when he was handed over the captaincy, it was a crucial game in the domestic match when they were playing against Punjab. And from there onwards, he scored a hundred, won the game, qualified for the knockouts. And from there onwards, he carried on that momentum, scoring hundreds in domestic, then got into the IPL, carried on his form, and here he is now. “Well, it is important for the baton to be given to a youngster. And I think he suited that role extremely well. Nobody had seen his leadership ability. So then, having given the captaincy, and the way he took on the responsibility as a captain and as a batter, I think that was fabulous. That was incredible. And I think from there onwards, I think he has just gone from strength to strength.”
Padikkal had not been guaranteed a place in the XI and was initially expected to miss out, but an injury to Sai Sudharsan opened the door; he had already impressed for India A in Sri Lanka, including an unbeaten 142 in a three-day warm-up match at the NCC Ground in Colombo. An early mix-up between Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul brought Padikkal to the middle, and by the time stumps were drawn his performance left a selection question for when Sudharsan returns.
Padikkal's hundred leaves India with a selection call to make when Sai Sudharsan returns to fitness. Padikkal doesn't need to settle that debate today; he has already done the harder thing: made himself impossible to ignore.
