Devdutt Padikkal secures No. 3 spot after 142 in warm-up match

Devdutt Padikkal scored an unbeaten 142 in India's warm-up match against a Sri Lanka XI in Colombo and has secured the No. 3 position for the two-Test series. The innings settled earlier concerns about middle-order stability ahead of the tour. Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers had flagged Padikkal's scoring areas as a potential edge in that slot on turning tracks.

Rishabh Pant could not get going in the warm-up and remains under pressure for the Tests in Galle and Colombo. Gautam Gambhir has been urged to give Pant freedom to play his natural game. The Sri Lanka series is an early chance to steady the middle order before harder assignments come later in the World Test Championship cycle.