By Devdutt Padikkal was named Player of the Series as India closed out a 1-0 Test series win over Sri Lanka, finishing with 328 runs at an average of over 109 across three innings.
The opener’s tally included two centuries and a top score of 167, delivered after he was handed a chance in the side following Sai Sudharsan’s injury.
“This was my chance to really prove something and make sure that I show everyone that I am capable of getting big runs,” Padikkal said, reflecting on his opportunity.
“I have done that throughout my career in first-class cricket, and now I am really happy it showed in the Test arena as well,” he added.
India won the first Test in Galle by 165 runs, while the second Test in Colombo ended in a draw after Sri Lanka’s Sonal Dinusha scored centuries in both innings.
“Now I am happy I was able to tackle spin well, to the best of my ability, and I hope I continue to work on it and get better at it,” he added.
India won the series 1-0 after taking the first Test in Galle by 165 runs, before Sri Lanka’s Sonal Dinusha batted the hosts to an epic draw in the second Test at Colombo with an unbeaten 133.
Dinusha, who scored a century in each innings of the second Test, was named Player of the Match for his efforts, even as Padikkal’s series-long consistency saw him take the overall series honour.
India’s failure to close out the second Test meant the side missed out on a share of crucial World Test Championship points that a series sweep would have brought.
Padikkal’s 167 came in India’s first innings of the series and remains his highest Test score to date, underlining the scale of his breakthrough on the tour.
Photo by Lionel Allorge, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (representative cricket image)
