Padikkal led the way in India’s first innings, slamming his maiden Test hundred, and ending with a score of 167. 3 spot his own in the long run, entered multiple record books during his classy knock in Galle. In a batting lineup featuring standout names like Shubman Gill , KL Rahul , Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant , it’s Devdutt Padikkal who stood out in India’s first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. The left-hander, who is fighting to make the No.
Padikkal became only the fifth Indian batter to notch up a 150+ Test score in Sri Lanka, joining Sachin Tendulkar , Virender Sehwag , Shikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara in the elite club. He broke Pujara’s record of becoming the youngest Indian to score 150+ in the island nation. 3 batter with the highest individual score in a Test in Sri Lanka. Pujara’s previous record was an innings of 153 in 2017, also in Galle. 3 against Sri Lanka. Only the legendary Rahul Dravid sits above him in that category, having made 177 at Ahmedabad in 2009. 3 batter away from home in Test cricket. His 167 surpassed Ajit Wadekar’s 143 against New Zealand at Wellington in 1968. He slammed 15 boundaries and a maximum en route to his knock of 167 off 230 balls. The 26-year-old looked set for a double century, but got out stumped on 167 off Prabath Jayasuriya ‘s bowling. Having enjoyed an excellent domestic season for Karnataka and then a superb IPL 2026 campaign for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Padikkal appears to have continued his rich vein of form into international red-ball cricket.
Padikkal also surpassed Pujara as the Indian No. Overall, he slammed the second-highest score by an Indian No. The southpaw also registered the highest-ever score by a left-handed Indian No. Playing only his third Test match, Padikkal looked the most assured of the star-studded Indian batters.
