A Devdutt Padikkal Century 21 Months After His Last Test

The Devdutt Padikkal century at Galle on Saturday landed 21 months after he last pulled on a Test shirt, which is a long time to sit in the waiting room of Indian cricket. He walked out at No. 3 in India's 600th Test, faced spin on a surface offering the bowlers almost nothing, and was still there at stumps on 131 not out from 178 balls, with 12 fours and a six.

India closed day one on 288 for 2 after 73 overs, with bad light and rain shutting things down early. KL Rahul made 77 off 162 before cramps forced him to retire hurt, and his 150-run stand with Padikkal for the second wicket did most of the damage. Yashasvi Jaiswal had gone early, run out after a collision with the bowler.

For an Indian audience, the interesting part isn't the scoreboard. It's who made the runs. Padikkal was not in the original plan for this match. Sai Sudharsan was ruled out injured before the toss, the No. 3 slot opened up, and a batter whose last Test was in Australia in November 2024 got the job back by accident.

Why Galle Was the Kindest Pitch He Could Have Asked For

Galle in August is not a graveyard for batting on day one. The surface is dry and slow, the ball comes on at a friendly pace, and the real menace only shows up later in the match when the footmarks widen and the bounce goes uneven. India won the toss and batted, which on that ground is close to a free pass for the first two days.

None of that makes 131 easy. Sri Lanka's spinners squeezed for long stretches, and Padikkal scored at a shade under 75 runs per 100 balls — busy, not reckless. He reached three figures off 134 deliveries. But the honest framing is that he got the softest possible landing for a comeback innings, and he did not waste it.

The Devdutt Padikkal Century, Broken Down

The innings had two clear halves. Early on, with Rahul steady at the other end, Padikkal played inside the V and let the spinners come to him. The 150-run partnership was built on singles and the occasional punched drive rather than anything flashy. Once Rahul walked off cramping, Padikkal changed gear and took the scoring on himself.

He is only the second left-hander to make a Test hundred batting at No. 3 for India this century, per Outlook India. The first was Sourav Ganguly, who scored 136 against Zimbabwe in 2002. That is a strange, thin list for a country that has produced as many left-handers as India has.

India's No. 3 Problem, Explained

This is the real story. India have not had a settled first-drop since Cheteshwar Pujara last played a Test in 2023, and the selectors have been rotating names through the position ever since. A hundred there, in an away Test, from a 26-year-old, is worth far more to the team than the same score from an established batter.

Why the Slot Kept Turning Over

No. 3 in Test cricket is the hardest place to audition. You can be in with two overs gone against a hard, new ball, or you can wait 60 overs and face reverse swing. Batters who look settled at four or five often struggle there, which is why India's search dragged on for three seasons without a clear answer.

The Injury That Handed Him the Slot

Sudharsan's injury is the reason Padikkal played at all. He had been quietly making runs away from the cameras — including an unbeaten 142 from 210 balls in a warm-up game at the NCC Grounds — and India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said the preparation had been visible for a while.

I am happy for Devdutt Padikkal. He was waiting for his opportunity, and he has used his opportunity.

What His Record Actually Says

Padikkal debuted at Dharamsala in March 2024, taking his cap from R Ashwin, and made 65 in his first Test innings. He came into that debut with a first-class record of 2,227 runs at 44.54 from 31 matches. The talent was never the question. Availability, form and a free slot all had to line up at once, and this week they finally did.

What Day Two Added, and What Rain Took Away

Sunday was messy. Rain wiped out the first session and a half at Galle, and only 43 overs were possible. India still added 172 to reach 460 for 9 at stumps. Padikkal pushed on to 167 before falling, and Dhruv Jurel chipped in with 51 from 68 balls, caught at slip off a leading edge against Prabath Jayasuriya, who was the pick of the home attack with three wickets.

Two lost sessions in a five-day game changes the maths. India have the runs, but they have burned nearly a third of the match getting them. On a Galle surface that usually starts biting from day three onward, a 460-plus first innings is strong — winning from it inside the remaining time is a different problem.

What to Watch for the Rest of This Test

Three things worth tracking. First, whether Rahul's cramps become a fielding or second-innings issue. Second, how quickly the pitch starts turning, because India's spinners will need roughly 20 wickets in what may be less than three full days of play. Third, whether the weather over Galle relents at all.

One practical note for viewers in India: Sri Lanka runs on the same clock as IST, so there's no time-zone maths — play starts at the local scheduled hour and you watch it live. Keep an eye on the morning session on day three. If the ball starts gripping and Sri Lanka lose early wickets, this becomes a Test India can win. If the rain returns, Padikkal's hundred may end up being the only thing anyone remembers from Galle.