# Devdutt Padikkal scores back-to-back Test tons against Sri Lanka 2026-08-22T18:02:19+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Devdutt Padikkal scored his second successive Test century against Sri Lanka on the second day of the second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. Gulf News reports that he was unbeaten on 131 off 178 balls with 12 fours and a six, with Rishabh Pant on 27, and India were well placed for a huge first-innings total. Sportstar reports that Padikkal reached his century off 168 balls and was eventually dismissed for 117 off 193 by spinner Keshara Nuwantha. According to Sportstar, his centuries in consecutive away Tests are the first by an India number three since Cheteshwar Pujara in 2018-19. Padikkal had earlier scored 167 in the first Test in Galle. The two sources diverge on his final score: Gulf News says 131 not out at stumps on day one, while Sportstar reports he was bowled for 117. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The two sources offer near-identical match coverage, both neutral in stance. The only factual discrepancy is that Gulf News appears to report stumps on day one, while Sportstar reports his eventual dismissal on day two. The measured takeaway is that Padikkal has had a breakout Sri Lanka tour with two centuries, strengthening India's top order ahead of the home season. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - gulfnews.com (neutral report) Straight match report focusing on Padikkal's unbeaten score and India's strong position. - sportstar.thehindu.com (neutral report) Straight match report including his dismissal and the historical context of back-to-back centuries. This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-23T12:00:55+00:00. Tags: Devdutt Padikkal, India, Rishabh Pant, Sri Lanka, Test cricket Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/devdutt-padikkal-scores-maiden-test-century-against-sri-lanka-2/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/devdutt-padikkal-scores-maiden-test-century-against-sri-lanka-2/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/