Devdutt Padikkal continued his superb run at No.3 against Sri Lanka as he scored his second successive Test ton on the opening morning of the second Test in Colombo on Sunday. Devdutt Padikkal reached the coveted triple digits after stitching together another crucial innings after his 167 in Galle during the first Test.
Devdutt Padikkal’s Century Stand Comes at an Important Time
Padikkal’s century came at a crucial time for India, when the Men in Blue had lost two early wickets. He played with maturity and patience to keep the scoreboard moving as India looked to end their first innings with a big total.
India had opted to bat first after captain Shubman Gill won the toss. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul opened the innings but were unable to stitch a big partnership together. Jaiswal was dismissed for 45 off 53 balls, giving Sri Lanka their first breakthrough. Yashasvi Jaiswal was involved in an altercation with Sri Lankan bowler Asitha Fernando after the latter celebrated the left-hander’s wicket, leading to a tense verbal exchange and a headbutt between the two players.
KL Rahul too was unable to convert his start and departed after adding 18 runs to India’s total. That brought skipper Shubman Gill to the crease alongside Devdutt Padikkal.
Devdutt Padikkal and Shubman Gill’s Partnership
Skipper Gill and Padikkal stitched together a 120-run partnership. Shubman played a patient knock of 50 runs off 108 balls, hitting six fours. Shubman Gill reached his half-century but was dismissed soon after by Asitha Fernando, caught behind by Niroshan Dickwella. The captain’s dismissal came just before tea. At this stage, Devdutt Padikkal was unbeaten for 63 runs and India were 187/3.
Devdutt Padikkal Leads India to a Strong Total at the End of Day 1
The Bengaluru batter continued his innings, looking comfortable against the Sri Lankan bowling attack, and reached 117 runs off 193 balls with composure. He was later bowled out by Keshara Nuwantha.
Devdutt Padikkal’s second consecutive century in as many Tests has made him the first Indian batter to score consecutive hundreds in this series. His 167 in Galle has been the highest score of India’s first innings in the first Test, which India won by 165 runs.
Rishabh Pant came to the crease after Shubman Gill’s dismissal but departed early for a score of 3 off 15 balls. India ended with 300/5 with the dismissal of Ravindra Jadeja. India will resume batting on day 2 with Dhruv Jurel and debutant Saransh Jain (replacing an ill Kuldeep Yadav) at the crease.
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