Devdutt Padikkal scored 167 in 230 balls to register his maiden Test century on Day 2 of the first Test between India and Sri Lanka at Galle International Stadium on August 16, 2026. Batting at number three in the absence of injured Sai Sudharsan, Padikkal struck 15 boundaries and a six before being stumped by Prabath Jayasuriya. The innings came in his third Test match, marking a significant milestone early in his international career.
KL Rahul, who returned to bat after retiring hurt on Day 1 with right forearm cramps and added five runs before being caught for 82, was full of praise for his Karnataka teammate. Rahul has closely followed Padikkal's journey through domestic cricket and understood the significance of this breakthrough century in Test cricket.
"Obviously, coming from the same state, Dev is somebody that, you know, I have seen come through the ranks from under-19s and, you know, scored tonnes and tonnes of runs for Karnataka and made his way up to Indian cricket." Rahul said in a video released by BCCI.
Padikkal's breakthrough century at Galle
Padikkal had been waiting for his opportunity in the Test team for the past couple of years, working quietly to improve specific aspects of his batting. Rahul and Padikkal had discussed the challenges of playing in Sri Lanka and what to expect in the longer format of the game before this series.
"In the last couple of years, he has been waiting for his opportunity and quietly toiling in the nets and trying to get better at some aspects of his batting. We have had a lot of chats over the last couple of years that he is been with the team about what needs to get better or what to expect in Sri Lanka, what to expect in the Test matches to come." Rahul said.
Preparation and domestic success leading to the milestone
Padikkal had previously toured Sri Lanka with India A and scored runs in the warm-up game leading into this Test, demonstrating his readiness for the challenge. His consistency in domestic cricket and preparation had set the stage for this maiden Test century.
"And, you know, he's one of those players who's come here before, scored some runs in India A as well. So, just getting used to the condition. He scored 100 in the warm-up game as well. So, he's been amongst runs. He is someone who loves batting and scoring big runs and really happy that he could get the first 100," Rahul said.
Confidence for bigger innings ahead
Rahul emphasised the importance of achieving a maiden Test century early in a cricketer's career, as it provides the confidence to move forward without the weight of that milestone hanging over them. Getting that first hundred allows a player to focus on building consistency and taking their batting to the next level.
"It is very important to get that early in your career so you can get that out of the way and then start enjoying your cricket and start enjoying your batting and take your batting to the next level," Rahul said.
Rahul was confident that Padikkal's understanding of his own batting and his recent run of scoring would translate into bigger innings for India. With this maiden century behind him, Padikkal was now positioned to become a more consistent performer in the Test team.
"And I think he's at a stage where he understands his batting really well and he's scoring lots of runs. So, I think he will make that move into, you know, scoring bigger knocks for India and being more consistent," Rahul said.