Devdutt Padikkal has continued his sensational start to India's Test series in Sri Lanka, producing another hundred in the second Test at the Sinhalese
Sports Club in Colombo on Sunday.
Padikkal had already announced himself in emphatic fashion in the opening Test in Galle, scoring a magnificent 167 in India's first innings. He followed it with 44 in the second innings as India secured a 165-run victory.
His form continued in Colombo, where Padikkal again walked out at No. 3 and transformed a difficult start into another commanding innings. India lost KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal early, but Padikkal steadied the innings alongside captain Shubman Gill. The pair added 120 runs for the third wicket, with Padikkal reaching his fifty from 90 balls. He departed only after scoring 117 runs in 193 deliveries, decorated with 12 boundaries.
The century means Padikkal has now registered hundreds in consecutive away Tests - a feat achieved by an Indian No. 3 for the first time in more than seven years.
The previous Indian No. 3 to accomplish the feat was Cheteshwar Pujara during India's historic 2018-19 tour of Australia. Pujara scored 106 in the first innings at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and then followed it with a monumental 193 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Pujara's Melbourne century came off 319 deliveries, while his 193 in Sydney was another marathon effort, helping India post 622/7 declared. He finished that series with 521 runs and was named Player of the Series as India secured their first-ever Test series win in Australia.
After returning to the Test side and making his opportunity count in Galle, Padikkal has now followed it with another hundred in Colombo. His back-to-back centuries have strengthened his case for a long-term place in India's Test middle order as the Indian team take on the challenges along the way.
