Devdutt Padikkal's Century Shines Light on India's No. 3 Conundrum in Galle
Devdutt Padikkal marked his return to India's Test setup in style, smashing his maiden Test century during the first Test against Sri Lanka at the Galle International Cricket Stadium.
Padikkal joins elite list of India's no. 3 left-handers
Padikkal became only the second Indian left-handed batter in the 21st century to score a Test century from No. 3, after former captain Sourav Ganguly. Ganguly had scored 136 against Zimbabwe in Delhi in 2002.
Padikkal's achievement is part of a longer history of Indian left-handers succeeding at No. 3. Vinod Kambli leads the list with four centuries, followed by Ganguly with three.
India had struggled to find a consistent No. 3 batter since Shubman Gill scored a century against Bangladesh in Chennai in September 2024. Since then, India had used seven different batters at No. 3 across 19 Tests.
Padikkal's century ended a prolonged wait for an Indian batter to score a Test hundred from No. 3. His performance in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season, averaging 60.33, carried over into the Test match.
India captain Shubman Gill congratulated Padikkal in the middle, while head coach Gautam Gambhir applauded from the dressing room. BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar was also present at the venue and joined in the celebrations.
The Indian team will now look to build on Padikkal's success and find a consistent No. 3 batter for the rest of the series. The second Test is scheduled to take place in Galle on Thursday.
Source: Yahoo Sports