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Padikkal scores maiden Test century, joins Kohli in elite list
Devdutt Padikkal scored his maiden Test century on the opening day of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle on Saturday. The 26-year-old left-hander reached the hundred in 134 balls, becoming…
The Story in Brief
Devdutt Padikkal scored his maiden Test century on the opening day of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle on Saturday. The 26-year-old left-hander reached the hundred in 134 balls, becoming the first Indian batter since Shubman Gill in 2024 to score a Test hundred at the No. 3 spot. He stitched a 150-run partnership with KL Rahul, who retired hurt on 77. India ended the day at 288 for two, with Rishabh Pant unbeaten. Padikkal got the opportunity after a freak injury to Sai Sudarshan, whom coach Gautam Gambhir had been backing. Sarfaraz Khan was left out of the playing XI.
The Indian Opinion
The hype around Padikkal's century is understandable, but the 'No. 3 problem solved' narrative is premature. One flat-track hundred against a weak Sri Lankan attack does not answer the question. The same was said of Sudarshan and Nair. The real test will be on a seaming wicket against a quality pace attack. Until then, can the team management keep Sarfaraz Khan waiting on the bench?
Sources (3): sports.ndtv.com, sports.ndtv.com (2), nationalheraldindia.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above.
