Devdutt Padikkal has been named Player of the Series in India’s 1-0 Test series win over Sri Lanka, finishing with 328 runs across three innings at an average of over 109.
The opener’s series included two centuries and a career-best score of 167, delivered after he was brought into the side following Sai Sudharsan’s injury.
“It feels great,” Padikkal said, reflecting on the award. “Coming into the series, once I knew I was going to get that opportunity, I was looking forward to it, that this was my chance to really prove something.”
He also spoke about preparing specifically to face Sri Lanka’s spin attack, saying he was “happy I was able to tackle spin well, to the best of my ability.”
India secured the series with a 165-run win in the opening Test at Galle, while the second Test in Colombo ended in a draw after Sri Lanka’s Sonal Dinusha scored centuries in both innings.
Padikkal stepped into the side as a replacement for injured opener Sai Sudharsan, and made the most of the opportunity across the two-Test series.
He carried strong domestic form into the tour, including a 232-run knock in the Ranji Trophy semifinal earlier in the year, which had already marked him out as in-form ahead of the Sri Lanka assignment.
“When you come to Sri Lanka, you always expect that spin challenge, and I was personally looking forward to the same, making sure I was prepared really well leading up to the series,” Padikkal said.
“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.
Photo by Lionel Allorge, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (representative cricket image)