The No 3 lock-in: How Devdutt Padikkal's knock solidifies India's batting lineup

When a toe injury ruled Sai Sudharsan out of India’s warm-up fixture against Sri Lanka Cricket XI in Colombo, an unscripted vacancy emerged at the top of the order. Devdutt Padikkal did not merely fill the void—he blew the door off its hinges, hammering a masterclass 142 off just 121 balls to effectively lock in the No. 3 slot for the Test opener in Galle.

Authority Under Early Pressure

India faced an immediate crisis when opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed for a second-ball duck by left-arm paceman Vishwa Fernando. Walking in at 0/1, Padikkal shifted the momentum almost instantly with an exhibition of classical strokeplay and controlled aggression.

The left-hander struck 18 boundaries across his 121-ball stay, dominating the bowling attack before retiring out to allow India's middle order batting time.

Dominating Pace and Spin

Padikkal was seen in complete command against Sri Lanka’s frontline attack across all phases of his innings. He neutralised Vishwa Fernando’s early movement by using crisp, decisive footwork and punchy drives through the off-side. Against off-spinner Ramesh Mendis, who generated sharp turn on a dry pitch, Padikkal deployed authoritative sweep shots and lofted drives down the ground to disrupt Mendis’ length.

Sealing the Galle Selection

With team management searching for a dependable left-handed anchor following Sudharsan’s setback, Padikkal’s fluent century leaves no lingering doubt. Having recorded a half-century on his Test debut against England in Dharamshala, his commanding display in Colombo offers captain Shubman Gill an ideal, in-form No. 3 option for the turning tracks awaiting in Galle.

As Day 3 is set to begin, India is trailing by just 6 runs at 357/6 with Padikkal and Gurnoor Brar at the crease.