Devdutt Padikkal scores 117 as India reach 300 for five on day one in Colombo
Devdutt Padikkal's second successive Test century helped India reach 300 for five on day one in Colombo.
Devdutt Padikkal scored 117 as India reached 300 for five on the opening day of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo. Padikkal was dropped on 0 and 1 but went on to post his second consecutive Test century of the series.
He added 120 runs for the third wicket with captain Shubman Gill, who scored 50. Asitha Fernando took three wickets for Sri Lanka on a pitch that offered variable bounce.
Padikkal's second straight Sri Lanka century in contrasting conditions has turned a stop-gap No.3 role into a durable claim, quietly shifting India's middle-order selection calculus for the foreseeable future.
CricHubb Take
Padikkal's consistency against Sri Lanka removes the need to rotate No.3 options for the foreseeable future, which changes the selection math for the rest of the WTC cycle.