Cricket: Devdutt Padikkal straight hundred puts India in command after Sri Lanka squander early openings

At 5.30 pm, when players from the Indian and Sri Lankan teams walked off the ground at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, neither would have felt like they had the best of the day. India were an even 300 for 5, but, aside from Devdutt Padikkal, none of the batsmen who got set carried on, which is a must when you win the toss and bat in the subcontinent.

After losing the toss, Sri Lanka’s bowlers will feel that they did not allow India to run away with the game. There is a grain of truth in this, but a closer examination of how things panned out tells a different story.

India’s openers, KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, did well to see off the first hour. And, quite surprisingly, Sri Lanka turned to a defensive line early on. The spinners fired the ball into the pads and the quick bowlers kept the ball outside the off at arm’s length.


Jaiswal’s dismissal, dragging on a ball from Asitha Fernando, triggered a heated moment with words causing Jaiswal to halt his walk back. Jaiswal then stepped into the gathered Sri Lankan players, getting close enough to Asitha to make contact with his helmet. The match referee will definitely take a closer look at that.

Rahul, who had come down the pitch to tonk Prabhat Jayasuriya back over his head, seemed oddly restless. Perhaps he correctly judged that there was still enough in this surface to make crease occupation hazardous and played more shots than he usually would. Rahul made good contact with a pull but then threw his hands at a wide ball, nicking off against Lahiru Kumara.

India, at 66 for 2, would have known it could have been much worse. Devdutt Padikkal was dropped before he could score, Sonal Dinusha dove forward at point but could not hold onto a sharp chance. Dhananjaya de Silva, at slip, then allowed a thick edge to burst through his hands with Padikkal on 1.

Hypothetically, if either of those chances had been taken, Sri Lanka would have been on top at the time. But cricket is not defined by what ifs. Padikkal made the most of his chances—a recurring theme in his fledgling career—settling down to back up his 167 at Galle with another hundred, comprehensively settling the debate over the No. 3 position.

Padikkal had to bat in partnership with Shubman Gill, and the two put on the best batting passage of the day. The pair, coincidentally also the most pleasing looking of India’s batsmen, added 126 for the third wicket before Gill (50) gave his wicket away. With just minutes to go for the tea break, Gill went the same way as Rahul, losing his patience against a negative line and playing an unnecessarily adventurous shot.

Padikkal played on, and even Rishabh Pant, retiring hurt after being struck on the wrist when he attempted a pull and was early on the shot, did not cause the No. 3 to break stride. When he eventually fell, Padikkal had 117 to his name, and India had made their way to 281 for 4.

Ravindra Jadeja (43) did his part, and his dismissal, as late as the 85th over of the day, shouldering arms to Asitha, just proved that there was still something in this pitch.

In Galle, when the ball went soft, the bowlers struggled to create any indecision in the minds of batsmen. At the SSC, the pitch offered more. The scoreboard does not suggest this, but there was variable bounce, there was purchase for the off spinner when he put some action on the ball, and the quick bowlers made the keeper collect the ball above his head when it was banged in short. Add to this the seam movement and shape with the new ball, and India will feel a sense of quiet confidence.

Pant had padded up once more and was ready to come out to bat, but with a wicket falling so close to stumps, he was held back. Everyone knows what half an hour of Pant out in the middle can do to a game. Dhruv Jurel is still at the crease, and in Saransh Jain, the debutant off spinner, and Manav Suthar, India have some batting left to come.

India also have five specialist bowlers to Sri Lanka’s four, which means that the captain can rotate them more creatively while keeping them relatively fresh. It won’t be easy, but if India win the small moments that come their way, they could quickly find themselves in the ascendancy.

BRIEF SCORE: India: 300 for 5 in 85 overs (Devdutt Padikkal 117, Shubman Gill 50; Asitha Fernando 3/46)