# Devdutt Padikkal scores 167, joins elite Test club in Galle 2026-08-17T08:10:49+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet (2 source reports) Devdutt Padikkal smashed a magnificent 167 for India in the first innings of the opening Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, becoming only the fourth Indian opener to score a century on Test debut. Sports.ndtv.com reports the left-handed batter joined an elite club that includes Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag. India vice-captain KL Rahul, who has watched Padikkal rise through the ranks in Karnataka, labelled the youngster "very special" after his maiden hundred. Rahul expressed immense pride at the achievement, according to the same outlet. The 24-year-old's knock was the top score for India in the innings. The match continues in Galle. ## Coverage - sports.ndtv.com - sports.ndtv.com (2) This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-17T10:51:32+00:00. Tags: Devdutt Padikkal, India cricket team, Sachin Tendulkar, Sri Lanka cricket team, Virender Sehwag Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/padikkal-scores-167-joins-tendulkar-and-sehwag-in-elite-club/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/padikkal-scores-167-joins-tendulkar-and-sehwag-in-elite-club/#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/