Padikkal’s Century Puts India In Strong Position On Rain-Hit Galle Test Opener

India enjoyed a productive opening day in Galle after reaching 288/2 in 73 overs against Sri Lanka before rain and fading light brought proceedings to an early conclusion.

India captain Shubman Gill chose to bat first after winning the toss as the visitors began their 600th Test.

Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul initially gave India a steady start before Jaiswal was dismissed for 32 following a mix-up while attempting a run.

Rahul continued the innings with Padikkal and produced a valuable 77 before cramps forced him to retire hurt during the final session.

Padikkal made the most of his opportunity at No 3 by remaining unbeaten on 131 from 178 deliveries. His innings featured 12 boundaries and one six as he combined patient defence with calculated aggression against the Sri Lankan bowlers.

Padikkal reached his century from 134 balls. He became the first Indian left-handed No. 3 batter to score a Test hundred since Sourav Ganguly. Ganguly achieved the feat in 2002.

Padikkal relied heavily on his back-foot game. He scored 82 runs from 95 balls in that area. He also used his feet effectively to unsettle the spinners. His hundred could provide India with a potential long-term solution to the No 3 position, which has remained unsettled since Cheteshwar Pujara left the spot in 2023.

After Rahul’s departure, Padikkal continued his innings alongside Shubman Gill, who scored 16 before falling to Prabath Jayasuriya.

Rishabh Pant then arrived at the crease and immediately adopted an attacking approach against Sri Lanka’s spin options.

The wicketkeeper-batter struck Jayasuriya for a six and added further boundaries to move to an unbeaten 27 from 36 balls.

Padikkal and Pant had put together an unbeaten 52-run partnership by the close of play.

Sri Lanka’s spinners found some assistance from the Galle surface but failed to maintain sufficient accuracy throughout the day.

Jayasuriya was the hosts’ most successful bowler, claiming 1/77, while India’s batters largely controlled the tempo.

India will resume their first innings on Sunday with an opportunity to build a substantial total, with the second day scheduled to begin at 9:45 AM local time.

Brief Scores

India 288/2 in 73 overs (Devdutt Padikkal 131*, KL Rahul 77 retired hurt; Prabath Jayasuriya 1/77) against Sri Lanka.

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