Devdutt Padikkal Scores Maiden Test Century as India Pulverise Sri Lanka in 600th Landmark Match
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Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Returning to the Test arena after nearly two years, left-hander Devdutt Padikkal struck a brilliant maiden century to push India to a dominant 288 for 2 against Sri Lanka on opening day of the first Test at Galle.
Making the most of his opportunity in place of the injured Sai Sudharsan, Padikkal anchored the innings with an unbeaten 131 off 178 balls before bad light and rain forced an early close with 17 overs left unbowled.
Rahul Retires Hurt After Setting Solid Platform
Opting to bat first in their historic 600th Test match, India seized control early through a fluent opening stand between Yashasvi Jaiswal (32) and vice-captain KL Rahul. The openers negotiated the initial movement with ease before Jaiswal fell, allowing Padikkal to join Rahul and compound Sri Lanka’s administrative bowling troubles.
Rahul struck an elegant 77 before severe body cramps forced him to retire hurt late in the afternoon session. His departure did little to stem the scoring rate as Padikkal stepped up his tempo alongside skipper Shubman Gill, driving pacer Keshara Nuwantha to mid-off to register his milestone hundred off just 134 deliveries.
Padikkal's effort marks the first time a left-handed Indian batter has scored a Test century at number three since Sourav Ganguly accomplished the feat at England's Trent Bridge in 2002.
Pant Assault Accelerates Indian Charge Before Rain Interruption
Sri Lanka managed just a single breakthrough during the final session when left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya tempted Gill (16) into a mishit lofted shot to mid-off. The minor setback only brought Rishabh Pant to the crease, who immediately put the home side on the defensive.
Pant struck an unbeaten 27 off 36 balls, including a massive six over wide long-on off Jayasuriya, forging an unbroken 52-run partnership with Padikkal before nature intervened.
The visitors will resume on day two targeting a massive first-innings total on a track expected to deteriorate quickly. Play on Sunday is scheduled to start early at 9:45 AM local time to make up for lost overs.
Brief Scores
- India: 288/2 in 73 overs (Devdutt Padikkal 131*, KL Rahul 77 retired hurt; Prabath Jayasuriya 1/77) vs Sri Lanka.
