Devdutt Padikkal scores maiden century and Shines at Number Three

Devdutt Padikkal smashed his first Test century to put India in a commanding position on day one of the opening Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. Finishing Saturday at a dominant 288 for two, the visitors kept local bowlers working hard across all three sessions on a challenging track. Opening batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal started brightly with 32 runs but fell to a frustrating run-out in the 11th over after a mix-up on the pitch. Interestingly, this marks the third run-out of his young Test career following similar exits at the MCG in 2024 and Delhi last year. KL Rahul then stepped up to steady the innings alongside Padikkal. Rahul crafted a composed 77 runs off 127 deliveries before retiring hurt with cramps during the afternoon session. Together, they added 150 runs for the second wicket.

Promoted to the crucial number three spot to replace an injured Sai Sudharsan, Padikkal dominated the Sri Lankan spinners with aggressive footwork. He raced to a special 134-ball century featuring nine boundaries and a six. Finding consistency at number three has been difficult for India recently; they tested seven different batters in this role over their last 19 Tests, yielding an underwhelming collective average of just 27.28. Captain Shubman Gill chipped in with 16 runs off 28 balls before falling to local spin specialist Prabath Jayasuriya. After rain briefly paused the afternoon action, Rishabh Pant walked to the middle and quickly settled into a dangerous rhythm. Pant finished the day unbeaten on 27, combining freely with Padikkal who walked off at 131 not out. They now look perfectly poised to push the team total well past 300 on Sunday morning.

WIth inputs from Agency Threads and Image Courtesy: ANI