India dominated Sri Lanka on the opening day of the first Test at the Galle International Stadium, reaching 288/2 in 73 overs at stumps after bad light and rain brought an early close. Playing in Tests for the first time since November 2024, Devdutt Padikkal hit his maiden Test century, scoring 131 not out off 178 balls, laced with 12 fours and a six.
Padikkal’s century was built on contrasting footwork patterns, with 40 runs coming off 76 balls on the front foot and 82 runs off 95 balls on the back foot. He added another nine runs off seven deliveries while stepping down the track, including a lone six. His dominance came from commanding the back foot while mixing in bursts of aggression when advancing.
India’s opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and vice-captain KL Rahul gave the team a fluent start, with Rahul retiring hurt on 77 in the final session due to cramps. Rishabh Pant was unbeaten on 27 off 36 balls, and Padikkal and India are poised to get a mammoth total in the first innings. Sri Lanka, despite finding some turn via spinners, were never consistent in their lines and lengths.
The highlight of the day was undoubtedly Padikkal seizing his chance at number three with a composed century, the first coming off a number three batter since Shubman Gill hit one against Bangladesh in Chennai in September 2024. Since Cheteshwar Pujara vacated the slot in June 2023, 11 batters were tried without success in 20 games.
Relief was evident in the Indian dressing room, as head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar lauded Padikkal’s century. With his sparkling century, India have found a batter capable of holding the one drop role from a long-term perspective in him.
In the morning, Jaiswal appeared in sublime touch, getting boundaries via flicks, on-drive, and cut whenever Asitha Fernando and Lahiru Kumara erred in their lengths. Sri Lanka introduced spin as early as the ninth over through debutant off-spinner Keshara Nuwantha. Padikkal, high on confidence after hitting an unbeaten 142 in the warm-up game, immediately asserted control over the Sri Lankan spinners by hammering Nuwantha for four, and later launched left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya over long-on for a maximum in the 14th over.
