Devdutt Padikkal played a pitch-perfect knock in the first innings of the Galle Test against Sri Lanka, bringing up his maiden century in the format and bolstering India's position in the crucial tie. The left-handed batter from Karnataka displayed ample elegance, mixing caution with aggression, throwing the Sri Lanka bowlers off their line and length, especially the spinners Prabath Jayasuriya and Keshara Nuwantha. The 26-year-old entered the contest on the back of a ton in the warm-up match against SLC XI and made full use of his rich vein of form.
Had Sai Sudharsan been fit and available for the series, Padikkal might not have started in the playing XI, but with his century, the batter has arguably confirmed his place in the lineup at No.3 for the next few matches. Speaking after the close of play on Day 1, Padikkal's emotions took over as he described the feeling of getting his maiden Test century for the country.
Padikkal said the highlight of his latest knock was the determination he showed, explaining that the conditions in Galle weren't the easiest, as he kept losing fluids from the sweltering heat and humidity.
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“In this knock, determination for me was playing through that tiredness and fatigue that I was feeling, especially towards the third session. I think it was getting really hot, and we were losing a lot of fluid. We were sweating all the time. So it was really important that I was determined enough to keep going and keep pushing forward,” Padikkal said in a video shared by BCCI.
{{/usCountry}}“In this knock, determination for me was playing through that tiredness and fatigue that I was feeling, especially towards the third session. I think it was getting really hot, and we were losing a lot of fluid. We were sweating all the time. So it was really important that I was determined enough to keep going and keep pushing forward,” Padikkal said in a video shared by BCCI.
{{/usCountry}}“It wasn't the easiest of wickets to bat on. I think we had to make sure that we didn't play too many last shots. We had to make sure that we kept our minds in the game as long as possible because, like I said, again, when you get tired, it's easy to lose that discipline, and I think as a team we did that well today,” he added.
Padikkal and Rahul's partnership
In the first innings, Padikkal and KL Rahul shared a 150-run stand before the latter retired hurt on 77 due to cramps. Padikkal's century is all the sweeter, considering he last played a Test for the country in 2024 and had to wait almost two years for his chance once again.
Padikkal broke the door in terms of selection after scoring heaps and heaps of runs in the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy and the IPL. And finally, the same form has been replicated by the batter in Test cricket. Padikkal also admitted to feeling nervous when he was in his 90s, but was relieved to get over the line and get the three-figure mark.
“Patience for me, I think it was more to do with what I've gone through before this game. I think my last Test was in 2024. So it's been a long time coming, and I've had to patiently wait, look on from the outside. It's never easy. But at the same time, it gave me time to really work on my game and perfect things that needed perfecting. And I'm really glad that all that hard work came to effect today. It feels great,” said Padikkal.
"I was a bit nervous towards the end when I got closer to it, but I think that's part of it, and I'm really happy to get over that. Especially this ground, I think even when we came here with the India SI, I got a few runs and even in the warm-up game, obviously I got some runs. So yeah, I guess it's a really special place for me and glad to keep it going," he added