Devdutt Padikkal turned an opportunity born out of injury into a record-breaking statement on Saturday, scoring his maiden Test century as India seized control of the opening Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. Playing only his third Test and returning to the side after a gap of nearly two years, Padikkal remained unbeaten on 131 off 178 balls as India closed a rain-interrupted opening day on 288 for two in 73 overs. His innings, studded with 12 fours and a six, came on an already significant occasion — August 15 and India's 600th Test match.
Padikkal had been brought into the XI after incumbent No. 3 Sai Sudharsan was ruled out through injury. It was the sort of opening that can alter the trajectory of a Test career, and the Karnataka left-hander made certain it did not pass him by. India had elected to bat first and lost Yashasvi Jaiswal for 32 after a mix-up resulted in a run-out. Padikkal then joined KL Rahul and gradually wrested control away from Sri Lanka.
While Rahul provided a more watchful presence, Padikkal was willing to put pressure on the bowlers. He reached his half-century from 81 balls and then accelerated, completing the first hundred of his Test career from 134 deliveries. The pair added 150 runs before Rahul, unbeaten on 77 from 162 balls, was forced to retire hurt with cramps around the tea interval. Captain Shubman Gill subsequently made 16 before falling to Prabath Jayasuriya, but Padikkal continued untroubled. Rishabh Pant joined him and finished unbeaten on 27 as India ended the day with only two wickets officially lost.
Padikkal breaks multiple records
Deep Dive
What historical significance does Devdutt Padikkal's Test century hold for India?
How did Padikkal perform in the opening Test against Sri Lanka?
Why is Padikkal considered a strong candidate for India's No. 3 batting position?
Beyond its importance to India's position in the Test, Padikkal's century carried a rare historical distinction.
{{/usCountry}}Beyond its importance to India's position in the Test, Padikkal's century carried a rare historical distinction.
{{/usCountry}}He became the first Indian batter to score a Test century on August 15, India's Independence Day. There is, however, an important distinction when Padikkal's achievement is compared with Virat Kohli's famous hundred against the West Indies in 2019.
Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten 114 from 99 balls in the third ODI at Port of Spain, an innings that finished in the early hours of August 15 according to Indian Standard Time. That is why Kohli is frequently listed as the first Indian to score an international hundred on Independence Day, with Padikkal now described as the second. Officially, though, the West Indies-India ODI was played on August 14, 2019 local time in Port of Spain. The official scorecard lists the fixture as an August 14 match. Padikkal's hundred, therefore, carries a cleaner calendar distinction: the Galle Test itself began on August 15, making him the first Indian to register a Test hundred in a match officially played on Independence Day.
His innings also placed him in another unusually short list. Padikkal became only the second left-handed Indian batter in the 21st century to score a Test century from No. 3. Sourav Ganguly was the previous one, making 136 against Zimbabwe in Delhi in 2002.
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Padikkal also became the sixth Indian in the last 30 years to make an overseas Test century while batting at No. 3, joining a group featuring Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane.
Perhaps more importantly for the present Indian side, the innings ended a lengthy drought at a position that has remained unsettled. Before Padikkal, the last century by an Indian No. 3 in Test cricket had come from Gill against Bangladesh in Chennai in September 2024.
Padikkal began the day as an injury replacement, trying to reopen the door to his Test career. By stumps, with 131 against his name and India firmly in command, he had given the selectors a very different problem — how to leave him out again.