A day after sealing the opening Test in Galle, Devdutt Padikkal picks up where he left off as India push for a series sweep in Colombo
Devdutt Padikkal is having the kind of week that turns a promising middle order into a genuine long-term problem for opposing bowlers. Just days after his maiden Test century set up a commanding win in Galle, the left hander struck again on the opening day of the second and final Test against Sri Lanka, guiding India to 300 for 5 at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo.
Devdutt Padikkal celebrates his century during the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo
From Maiden Hundred to Habit
Padikkal’s 117 on Sunday was not a repeat performance so much as a continuation of one. Having walked in at number three after an early wicket in Galle and gone on to make 167, he arrived in Colombo with a method that already looked well worn in. His innings featured twelve boundaries and the same unhurried composure that had defined his breakthrough knock, and it came despite Sri Lanka twice letting him off the hook, first when he was dropped at point off spinner Prabath Jayasuriya, then again when captain Dhananjaya de Silva put down a slip chance just two overs later.
Those reprieves proved costly. By the time Keshara Nuwantha finally dismissed him, sneaking one through his defence to clip off stump, Padikkal had already laid the platform India needed on a pitch offering little else for the bowlers to work with.
Gill Answers His Critics
The day carried added significance for captain Shubman Gill, who walked out to bat under a fair amount of scrutiny after managing just 24 runs across the Galle Test. He responded with a measured half century, calming some of the noise around his form even as Sri Lanka’s bowlers found occasional purchase elsewhere in the order. Gill’s innings ended when he edged behind off Asitha Fernando, who finished with three wickets on the day, but not before the captain had shown enough control to suggest the lean patch in Galle was more circumstantial than structural.
Elsewhere in the innings, KL Rahul fell for 18 after slashing at a Lahiru Kumara delivery, while Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 45 ended in a heated exchange with Fernando that briefly required teammates to step in and separate the two. Ravindra Jadeja added a further 43 before shouldering arms to a delivery that came back in and bowled him in the final over, a rare lapse in concentration on an otherwise disciplined day for India’s middle order.
The Platform Behind the Push
India’s position at stumps, with Dhruv Jurel unbeaten on seven and debutant Saransh Jain alongside him on four, reflects a side firmly in control of a match it needs to win outright to seal a 2-0 series sweep. That objective carries weight beyond the immediate contest. With the series forming part of the ongoing World Test Championship cycle, a clean sweep would hand India valuable points at a stage where every result in the standings matters.
Riding the Wave From Galle
Sunday’s platform did not emerge from nothing. India arrived in Colombo fresh off a 165 run victory in the series opener, a result built on Padikkal’s first century paired with a remarkable bowling performance from Manav Suthar, who claimed ten wickets across the match, including a six wicket haul in the second innings that broke open a Sri Lankan chase of 372. That win, achieved despite recurring rain interruptions in Galle, has clearly carried momentum into the second Test, with India once again choosing to bat first and make early use of favourable batting conditions.
What Colombo Could Still Throw Up
Weather remains an unresolved variable heading into the remaining four days, with forecasts pointing to hot, humid conditions and a real possibility of showers as the match progresses. For India, the priority now shifts to building a total substantial enough to occupy Sri Lanka’s batting lineup twice over, a lineup that has already shown vulnerability against Suthar’s turn and bounce in the first Test. For Sri Lanka, the SSC pitch and home comforts offer a chance to respond, but with Padikkal in this kind of form and the bowling attack that dismantled them in Galle largely unchanged, closing the gap will require considerably more than damage control.
