Devdutt Padikkal’s warm-up century locks India’s No. 3 for Galle

Devdutt Padikkal secured his place at number three for India’s first Test against Sri Lanka after scoring an unbeaten 142 in the warm-up match. The left-hander showed strong footwork against both pace and spin on a surface that offered turn. Padikkal used his height to smother spin and played with attacking intent throughout his innings.

Shubman Gill returned to the middle after missing the first two days with a finger injury and scored 44 while opening the second innings. Mohammed Siraj hit three consecutive sixes in the final over to complete a six-wicket victory. Rishabh Pant gave his wicket away in both innings by charging down the pitch.

The first Test begins in Galle on August 15. India are fifth in the World Test Championship table and need to win seven of their remaining nine Tests to reach the final. Padikkal’s selection ends three years of middle-order experimentation that began after Cheteshwar Pujara’s retirement.