Devdutt Padikkal scored a maiden Test century in Galle on Saturday, going 131 not out off 178 balls with 12 fours and a six, as India dominated Sri Lanka on day one of their first Test. He earned the spot after Sai Sudharsan was ruled out injured, and made the most of it, becoming the first left-handed batter since Sourav Ganguly in 2002 to score a Test hundred batting at number three for India. It was his first Test appearance since November 2024.
A Chance That Only Came From an Injury
Padikkal has been knocking on the door of a settled Test career for a while now, and it took someone else getting hurt for him to get the opportunity to show what he’s got at the top level. That’s not unique to him. Most fringe players break through exactly this way, because incumbents with established reputations are hard to dislodge on potential alone.
What happens next is the real test of the selection committee’s willingness to reward this. A century of this quality, at this position, against a Test attack, is the kind of performance selectors are supposed to build a spot around, not something a player should have to repeat from the bench before being trusted again.
🔥 Devdutt Padikkal’s Maiden Test Century:
What do you think? Should a performance like Padikkal’s guarantee him a settled spot in the XI going forward, or does Sudharsan get his place back the moment he’s fit? Let us know your thoughts in the comments on BeezLoop.com!
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