Padikkal rises to the occasion: Drafted in after Sudharsan’s injury, Devdutt repays the faith with a maiden century

If the Indian think tank needed any proof that their best chance of making it to the final of the World Test Championship was to play on good pitches at home, it was provided in Galle. On a surface that was good for batting — even if the odd ball gripped and there was a hint of uneven bounce that could play a part later — the top order delivered the most assured batting performance they have had in some time.

The clamour to mop up as many points as possible in home series has meant that India have played on dry, underprepared surfaces too often, exposing their batsmen. None of the top order, who are anyway short of experience in playing on rank turners because they hardly get such surfaces in domestic cricket, has been able to build any rhythm or confidence.

When Shubman Gill won the toss, a crucial one, not long after he had unfurled the tricolour to mark Independence Day, there would have been a collective sigh of relief in the dressing-room.


Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul then showed why they are such a good pairing at the top of the order. Jaiswal is always on the hunt to score quickly and plays his shots while Rahul is rarely fussed by what is happening around him. That the combination is left- and right-handed makes it tougher for the bowlers to settle on one line, and with the ball coming onto the bat nicely, there was good value for stroke play.

It was against the run of play that the first wicket fell when Rahul hit to mid-on and set off for a quick run. Jaiswal, who had slipped, regained composure only long enough to see his partner standing right beside him at the non-striker’s end and a simple run out was completed.

At 48 for 1, Devdutt Padikkal, India’s latest No. 3, had a chance to show what he was made of. There are few batting positions as pivotal as No. 3 in Test cricket, and India have not had a settled batsman there since Cheteshwar Pujara. At different times, Virat Kohli, Rahul, Karun Nair, Gill, Padikkal himself, Washington Sundar and Sai Sudharsan have been deployed at No. 3.

Had it not been for a toe injury to Sudharsan, Padikkal would not even have got a chance here. But once he was allowed in, Padikkal left nothing to chance. Coming down the wicket to the spinner early on, Padikkal launched one long ball straight towards the fort, and you sensed that he was in flow.

Padikkal has always been easy on the eye, but there was the lingering doubt that his languid manner and long levers — not too many Indian top-order batsmen are 6’ 3” tall — made him look better than he actually was. But he has a wide range of shots, and when he uses them smartly, as he did on the day, the bowlers are in for a real headache.

It has been 19 Tests and 35 innings since an Indian No. 3 scored a hundred, with Gill the last to reach the milestone in Chennai against Bangladesh in 2024. Padikkal’s unbeaten 131 put India well in control of the game even after an hour and 40 minutes, and 17 overs were lost to two rain interruptions.

Padikkal did not even know whether he would get a game in this series, but he had prepared consummately. Back at the Karnataka Institute of Cricket in Bangalore, Padikkal had sourced Kookaburra balls — which are in use in Sri Lanka — and worked with Naseeruddin Mohammed, his coach, against spinners of varying heights on tailor-made turning tracks. For eight consecutive days, he batted for three hours or more, and this paid off in the stylish 142 not out that Padikkal made in the warm-up match at Nondescripts Cricket Club in Colombo.

When the second day begins, India will know that their best option is to bat Sri Lanka out of this Test. Rahul, who retired hurt on 77 with cramps, struggling with pain in his hand and limping, will be keen to get back to the crease.

While there were suggestions that the pitch at Galle may be a difficult one to take 20 wickets on quickly enough, it will not be easy for Sri Lanka if India rack up something approaching 600, which will be the aim. Forever and a day, India’s best chance of winning, especially at home, has been batting big in the first innings. While winning the toss gains significance in this approach, there is definite merit to this conventional wisdom. And a team that has looked like it was struggling suddenly looks like the pieces are all falling in place.