Murphy’s double strike put India-A in trouble.
| Photo Credit: CAP

Control: Mukesh refrained from going too full and wide.
| Photo Credit: R. RAGU

Master bowler: Shami showed that he can still make the ball talk through both conventional and reverse swing.
| Photo Credit: R. RAGU

How often does a draw feel like a defeat? And a stalemate assume the hue of a victory? Often enough, Shubman Gill will insist.

Despite their own uneasy recent dalliance with the five-day format, India would have fancied their chances of bearding the Sri Lankan lion in its own den in a two-Test series that is pretty much the norm when the world’s most sought-after side isn’t playing against Australia or England.

India hadn’t lost a series in this country since 2008 and arrived early this month sitting on a five-Test winning streak on Sri Lankan soil. Even though their last visit was in 2017, they had reason to believe the hosts were ripe for the taking.

Significant result

The script seemed to be holding true. Notwithstanding pockets of defiance from their young guns, led by the exceptional Sonal Dinusha, Sri Lanka slumped to a 185-run rout in Galle in the first Test. The result assumed a more significant hue because India were without two-fifths of their first-choice bowling attack — Jasprit Bumrah and Washington Sundar were missing through injuries — but still won a rain-hit encounter with quite a bit to spare.

There was excellent reason, therefore, to aspire for a 2-0 sweep ahead of the second Test at the SSC ground. Sri Lanka, already without Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis, were dealt another unkind cut when Dinesh Chandimal was ruled out of the second Test after hurting his neck while fielding in Galle. But as it turned out, his replacement, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, had a great game at the SSC, desperately unlucky to miss out of centuries in both innings.

Dinusha delights

Dinusha, however, ensured that a similar fate didn’t befall him. Ahead of this series, the 25-year-old left-hander had played just three Tests but had showcased his ability and his temperament, not least in the Caribbean in June-July when he reeled off a sequence of 43, 12 not out, 92 and 28 in the two Tests.

It should have been fair warning well heeded; it will be presumptuous to say that India didn’t pay much attention to the young man, but they didn’t crack the Dinusha puzzle throughout the series, which is one of the main reasons they had to settle for a 1-0 scoreline despite dominating the second Test too for large stretches.

Dinusha batted for a little less than 20 hours in making 420 runs from 722 deliveries, the single point of difference as the Lankans ground out a fabulous draw after being forced to follow on in the second Test.

It wasn’t all doom and gloom from an Indian point of view. Devdutt Padikkal grabbed his chances with both hands in his first Tests in more than 20 months. In the absence of Sai Sudharsan, he took giant strides towards making the No. 3 slot his own with hundreds in the first innings of both games.

The volume of runs was impressive, but so was his presence in the middle. In further signs of his evolution as a dependable, oftentimes aggressive all-format batter, he treated the bowling with just about the respect it deserved, using the offside as his preferred area of scoring and looking equally comfortable against pace and spin.

India will find it very hard to look beyond him for the one-drop position when they play two Tests in New Zealand in November. After all, how can you overlook the credentials of someone as consistent as the Karnataka left-hander was in Sri Lanka?

And then, there was Dhruv Jurel, justifying the faith of the Gautam Gambhir-led think-tank which was sure that the wicketkeeper-batter was the answer to their prayers for a dependable middle-order batter who could play spin with soft hands, deftness of feet and no gremlins of self-doubt.

Assured batting

Alongside Sai Sudharsan and Padikkal, Jurel was one of the three batters Gambhir was keen should be a part of the India ‘A’ side that arrived on these shores for a shadow tour towards the end of June. Admittedly, neither Galle nor the SSC was a rank turner like Kolkata had been against South Africa in November, but Jurel didn’t put a foot wrong either in front of the stumps — he had a half-century in the first Test which he topped with his second ton in the next — or behind it when Rishabh Pant sat out much of the Sri Lankan first innings in Colombo with an assortment of blows to his body.

K.L. Rahul was dependable without going big while Pant was, well, Pant — exhilarating, unpredictable, entertaining and compelling. Maybe Gill will be a little disappointed that he didn’t join the list of centurions, but his batting looked in decent order, as did Yashasvi Jaiswal’s even if he found novel ways of courting dismissals.

Then, there was Prasidh Krishna. Ahead of the series, Gill was asked if he had a difficult choice to make between the Karnataka pacer and the uncapped Gurnoor Brar as Mohammed Siraj’s new-ball partner. The skipper barely batted an eyelid when he said that Prasidh was bowling the best with the red ball that he had ever seen him, and the strapping quick didn’t disappoint.

Even on the placid decks on offer, he worked up good pace, extracted appreciable bounce and kept the batters honest. When he pitched the ball up, there was movement which, allied with pace in the region of 140 kmph, made him a tricky proposition.

Up for the challenge

Prasidh was up for any challenge, including doing the dirty job of trying to soften up the batters with his shortish length, and is shaping up into an excellent support act for Bumrah and Siraj. India will need their pacers to fire on all cylinders when they go to New Zealand, so from that perspective, the development of Prasidh is perhaps the single greatest takeaway for the decision-making group from this three-week sojourn to the Emerald Isle.

But there are worrying signs aplenty too, not least when it comes to back-up spin options. Despite starting his Test career with so much promise in New Chandigarh when he took six wickets in the first innings against Afghanistan, and despite his ten-wicket match haul in Galle, Manav Suthar is still very much a work in progress.

In Colombo, his craft had to play second fiddle to the slowness of the SSC strip; there was bounce aplenty, which took bowled and leg before out of the equation, but the left-arm spinner was slow to respond when the Sri Lankan batters resorted to the sweep and the reverse sweep.

It might appear a touch harsh on someone who was only playing in his third Test, but this is an early education for Suthar and he will do well to heed the lessons if he aspires to step into the shoes of Ravindra Jadeja going forward and become the lead bowler around whom the Indian spin attack will revolve in the future.

Debut to forget

While Suthar did show signs of promise, Saransh Jain had a disappointing debut — and there is no way to sugarcoat that. On the radar of those involved in talent-identification and selection matters for a while now, Jain is an experienced hand at 33, with more than 50 first-class appearances under his belt for various outfits.

His first delivery in Test cricket was a no-ball, which can perhaps be put down to nerves, but he bowled six more of them across the two innings, which couldn’t have pleased anyone, least of all new spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule. But it wasn’t just the no-balls that were grating. While he did show reasonable control, the threat quotient was barely perceptible.

Saransh wouldn’t have been here if Washington was available but as a fallback alternative, he has a long way to go. In some ways, it points to a slight thinning of resources in the spin cupboard, which ought to worry those in the corridors of power because for so long now, India have got used to having the now-retired R. Ashwin and Jadeja to spin their webs of deception and lure batters to their doom.

After a lull, India have plenty of fast-bowling options to summon despite Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep and Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy spending a lot of time in the infirmary. But for the traditional land of spin to struggle to unearth an incisive off-spinner is a little hard to fathom and harder still to digest.

Jain deserves the benefit of doubt — after all, this was Test No. 1 and maybe he did have the proverbial ordinary one-off game — but for him to set himself up as a semi-long-term option, there must be obvious signs of improvement.

This tour in general, and the second Test particularly, was a steep learning curve for the captain. It’s been a little over 14 months since Gill first led the Test team, in England in Leeds last June. Captaincy looks simple from the outside but entails plenty of decision-making on the fly, even in Test cricket, without second-guessing oneself.

He was handicapped by a rapidly softening ball in Galle and by an SSC surface that had bounce but hardly any pace. Some of the fields he employed were strange, there was a definite occasional slant towards passivity, and the move to almost ignore trying to get Dinusha out on the final day of the series and target the other end was little short of self-defeating.

Mixed run

Gill has had a mixed run as captain — 2-2 in England, 2-0 at home against West Indies, defeat in his only Test against South Africa in Kolkata when he faced a mere three deliveries before contracting a neck injury, a hammering of Afghanistan and now this 1-0 success in Sri Lanka, his first overseas victory as skipper.

The journey has been challenging and exciting, but daunting outings lie in store in the red-ball version before he starts to focus exclusively on the 50-over format ahead of the World Cup in southern Africa in the second half of next year.

India haven’t won a Test in New Zealand since 2009 when Mahendra Singh Dhoni led them to a famous series triumph, and their last visit in 2020 was an unmitigated disaster as they were soundly beaten in both matches.

New Zealand will test the technique and the character of the batting group with its seam-friendly conditions, after which Australia will come calling for five Tests in India. Gill must be on top of his game — as lead batter and as leader — and towards that end, Sri Lanka was a timely, useful wake-up call.

Padikkal was named the Player of the Match.
| Photo Credit: PTI

A scrambled single to mid-off, a little leap in the air. The helmet whipped off, arms held half-aloft, his face bathed in a million-dollar smile. And just like that, Devdutt Padikkal became the 84th player to conjure a Test century for India.

And it wasn’t just any hundred. It was Padikkal’s maiden three-figure knock in the five-day game, in only his third Test appearance. These three appearances have come over a period of 29 months, which isn’t a reflection on the left-hander’s abilities but more a pointer to the logjam for places in the Indian batting which, despite its recent spin-infested afflictions at home, is still a formidable force.

Each of the 26-year-old’s caps has come because someone else has been unavailable. His debut, against England in March 2024, was a proverbial last-minute development, after Rajat Patidar was ruled out with an injury to his left ankle on the morning of the match. Summoned at little notice, Padikkal hardly looked out of place at No. 4, stroking his way to a majestic 65 marked by handsome strokes through the off-side off the back foot on a surface that encouraged that style of play.

Eight and a half months later, as India lined up for the first of five Tests against Australia at the sprawling Optus Stadium in Perth, out went the SOS to the Karnataka batter, this time because Shubman Gill was unavailable after fracturing his left thumb while fielding in the slips in an intra-squad simulation match. Despite having had greater time to come to terms with his overseas debut, Padikkal found little joy in the Western Australia capital in the first innings, nicked off by Josh Hazlewood for a 23-ball duck. He batted with a little more composure in the second innings as he came in on the back of a 201-run opening stand between Yashasvi Jaiswal and K.L. Rahul, but couldn’t progress beyond 25 as he was dismissed for the second time in the Test by Hazlewood.

Since then, it has been a whirlwind ride for the rangy left-hander, majestic and authoritative with an all-round game that he has used as an ally in domestic and franchise cricket. He had a fantastic time of it in IPL 2026 for defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru, fusing aggression with consistency in making 464 runs at a wonderful strike-rate of 168.72. Only Virat Kohli (675) and skipper Patidar (501) made more runs for the holders, and of those who made at least 250 runs, only Patidar (192.69) and Tim David (188.27) boasted a better rate of scoring. To say that Padikkal was one of the engine rooms as the Bengaluru franchise emulated Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians by becoming only the third franchise to retain the IPL crown will be a gross understatement.

Leader of sorts

Within the RCB setup, Padikkal had grown into a leader of sorts. New skipper Patidar was clearly in charge, but Padikkal was no longer one of the happy-go-lucky boys. Given a high-profile role at No. 3 to take on the bowling from the get-go, Padikkal had grown into that responsibility; the fear of being dismissed was replaced by a quiet confidence in his assiduous preparation, and it was hardly a surprise to see him repeatedly deposit his first ball out of the park, with correctness and elegance and no more than a semblance of power.

That he was growing in stature had earlier been evidenced by Amit Verma’s selection panel bestowing on him the captaincy of the Karnataka Ranji Trophy side midway through a stop-start campaign that was seemingly taking them nowhere. As they relieved Mayank Agarwal of the leadership role, the hat sat snugly on Padikkal’s head; justifying the show of faith, the new captain reeled off several impactful knocks as he hauled his team to the title round, where the hosts came up short against an inspired Jammu & Kashmir in the final in Hubbali.

His exploits caught the eye of Gautam Gambhir, the Indian head coach, and chief selector Ajit Agarkar. India had rewarded Karun Nair’s stellar domestic run by recalling him to the Test set-up after a long gap on the tour of England last summer, but Karun didn’t exactly cash in, making just a solitary half-century in the final Test at the Oval to play himself out of contention. A disastrous set of matches against South Africa at home in November last meant India had to revisit their options going forward as their World Test Championship aspirations hung by a slender thread.

Padikkal was earmarked as a sure-shot Test option, though no one was quite sure when his turn would come. There was a slant towards Dhruv Jurel to occupy a middle-order position, so if Padikkal had to be accommodated, it would have to be in the top three. But the decision-makers had thrown their weight behind the performing opening duo of Rahul and Jaiswal and the perceived promise at No. 3 of Sai Sudharsan, so it seemed as if Padikkal’s time wasn’t nigh yet.

But as is often the case, one man’s misfortune is another’s opportunity. Sudharsan, not exactly translating backing and potential into consistent performances, seemed to have nailed down the No. 3 berth after making centuries for India ‘A’ in consecutive unofficial ‘Tests’ in Sri Lanka in June and July, until a stress reaction in his big toe led to him being ruled out of the ongoing Test series. Arrive Padikkal, stage left. This time, as he took a bow after a virtuoso performance, there was a strong, lingering feeling that he wouldn’t have to wait another 21 months for his next Test appearance.

Pivotal position

The No. 3 position is a massively responsible, pivotal one in Test cricket. India have been blessed with exceptional personnel who manned that spot for long periods; since the turn of the millennium, the two men who made No. 3 their very own were Rahul Dravid, Padikkal’s Statemate and the former National captain, and Cheteshwar Pujara.

From the middle of 2023 until last summer, when he was named Rohit Sharma’s successor as the Test captain, Gill was a prolific scorer after stepping into Pujara’s shoes in the Caribbean. But once Gill dropped down to No. 4 — the spot opened up after Kohli’s Test retirement — the quest for the No. 3 began afresh.

In the last few years, India have tried out numerous options in a desperate bid to unearth a dependable hand that can steer the ship through choppy waters. That quest has taken them through a fair few names — Sudharsan, the aforementioned Karun, Rahul himself and Washington Sundar — but the fact that no one had scored a Test century from No. 3 since Gill in September 2024 against Bangladesh in Chennai reiterated that they had yet to button down a one-for-the-future choice. Sudharsan emerged as the one that enjoyed the backing of the coach and the captain, but now, Padikkal has stolen a march and has the chance to build on the gains of the Galle Test next week in the Sri Lankan capital.

Padikkal’s first of what is certain to be several Test tons was a win for planning and preparation. Between the ‘A’ tour in which he scored 12, 67 and 94 and embarking for Sri Lanka again, Padikkal trained hard at the Karnataka Institute of Cricket with personal coach Naseeruddin Mohammed. It wasn’t just mindless, ‘let’s get through the grind’ training; a lot of thought had gone into what were the areas that needed to be addressed. Among them was getting a feel of playing consistently against the red Kookaburra ball, and getting used to different types of spinners — variety- and height-wise — on pitches offering varying degrees of turn in a concerted bid to replicate what was expected to be on offer during the Tests in Sri Lanka.

Batters often make minute, conditions-based technical adjustments that are so subtle that they often go unnoticed. In the IPL, for instance, Padikkal relied heavily on an upright stance. At KIOC, he worked hard to stay low so that he could get to the pitch of the ball to smother turn. Hard hands are a must in T20 cricket but an absolute no-no on turning tracks, so Padikkal embarked on another exciting journey to consciously keep the hands softer, to drop his wrists, so that he didn’t put the close-in cordon in business.

Staking a claim

All this, even when he wasn’t sure that he’d get a look-in. Ten days back in Colombo, with Sudharsan’s tour banging in the balance, Padikkal staked his claim all over again with an unbeaten 142 against an SLC XI, and once the Tamil Nadu left-hander was officially ruled out, it was obvious that Padikkal’s time to rise and shine was imminent.

What stood out when he took guard at the Galle International Stadium on Saturday, day one of the first Test, was his self-belief. It must have helped that he walked out to join his senior Karnataka colleague, because Rahul and he share a terrific relationship with the older man taking his state captain under his wing, so to say. Padikkal started like he often did in the IPL, with a pulled four (off debutant off-spinner Keshara Nuwantha) off the first ball he faced. A couple of deliveries later, he put on his dancing shoes to shimmy down the track and deposit experienced left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya over the long-on fence. Padikkal had bared his hand, but Sri Lanka had nothing to counter him with.

The day-one surface had plenty for the spinners, but Padikkal was unstoppable. Without hitting a stroke in anger, he moved through the gears effortlessly, overshadowing Rahul’s calm, unflustered presence with a glittering array of delectable strokes. The decisiveness in foot movement was the most standout feature as he ended a 35-innings wait for an Indian No. 3 to keep his tryst with three-figures in Test cricket.

By the time he was finally dismissed after five and a half hours of the most compelling presence in the middle, Padikkal had eased — there really is no more appropriate word — to 167. In all the years that India have travelled to Sri Lanka, only Sachin Tendulkar (203), Virender Sehwag (201) and Shikhar Dhawan (190) have registered a numerically more substantial individual score. That Padikkal wasn’t satisfied with just a tryst with three-figures but aimed bigger and higher must delight Gill and Gambhir no end.

Having fired the first salvo, it’s entirely up to Padikkal to make himself undroppable. And thereby to make sure that he doesn’t keep having to look over his shoulder.

Sunday was largely about waiting for the sun. Fringed by the Indian Ocean and lashed by monsoon winds, Galle woke up to the pitter-patter of rains and birdsong. Umbrellas were out, puddles were the norm and the moist climate had a distinct bearing on the first Test as play resumed well after the lunch break.

Undeterred by the damp skies, India pursued its ambition of posting a healthy first-innings total against Sri Lanka. The goal was achieved with Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel lending a hand at varying points. And at close of the second day here at the Galle International Stadium, Shubman Gill’s men scored 460 for nine in 116 overs.

Conscious about inclement weather making further intrusions into the remainder of the Test, and resuming at the overnight 288 for two, India sought urgent runs. Centurion Padikkal continued unhindered while Rishabh Pant lashed left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya for four.

The host skipper Dhananjaya de Silva quickly sought the new ball and employed pace and spin in tandem. Pant miscued a hoick off Keshara Nuwantha, and K.L. Rahul returned to the crease. Rahul, however, had a brief tenure and succumbed to Nuwantha for 82 (175b, 10×4, 1×6) as the debutant off-spinner found turn and appreciable bounce. At the other end Padikkal went past 150 with a whipped four off seamer Asitha Fernando.

With Jurel for company, Padikkal (167, 230b, 15×4, 1×6) was busy shifting gears when he got stumped off Prabath. Ravindra Jadeja strode in and he too preferred flamboyance over dogged resistance. Even as he departed, Jurel extended India’s quest for a 400-plus score. He hoisted Nuwantha for six.

There is a calm air that Jurel always exudes, and he became the lower-order spine. Along with Manav Suthar, he hustled the runs. It needed a sharp catch from Dhananjaya stationed at first slip for Jurel (51, 68b, 4×4, 1×6) to depart after he prodded at Prabath. Mohammed Siraj jauntily walked in, hit a six, played and missed, and even as the tail wobbled, India would like to believe that it has enough to dominate this opening fixture.

Earlier, persistent rains washed away the first session. The persevering ground-staff did their best but with dark clouds often rolling in, they had a daunting task of keeping the turf dry. Like the ‘Myth of Sisyphus’, their effort seemed akin to rolling a boulder uphill.

Coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak stepped out and inspected the outfield. Bowling coach Morne Morkel bonded with fellow South African and current Sri Lankan coach Gary Kirsten. And finally when play was about to resume, another wet spell forced the players to hurry back to the pavilion.

Thankfully, the sun enforced its will and the game commenced at 2.35 p.m., and it was India’s turn to press forward in a contest that is bound to be held hostage by brooding skies. There is a forecast for more rains in the coming days and every session will be crucial.

The scores

India (1^st innings): Yashasvi Jaiswal (run out) 32 (37b, 5×4), K.L. Rahul c Nishan b Nuwantha 82 (175b, 10×4, 1×6), Devdutt Padikkal st Dickwella b Prabath 167 (230b, 15×4, 1×6), Shubman Gill c Udara b Jayasuriya 16 (28b, 2×4), Rishabh Pant c Dinusha b Nuwantha 39 (62b, 4×4, 1×6), Dhruv Jurel c Dhananjaya b Prabath 51 (68b, 4×4, 1×6), Ravindra Jadeja lbw b Nuwantha 13 (25b, 1×4), Manav Suthar c Udara b Prabath 24 (43b, 2×4), Mohammed Siraj c Dhananjaya b Asitha 11 (15b, 1×6), Kuldeep Yadav (batting) 12 (13b, 2×4), Prasidh Krishna (batting) 1 (4b). Extras (b-4, lb-3, nb-4, w-1): 12; Total (for nine wkts in 116 overs): 460.

Fall of wickets: 1-47 (Jaiswal, 10.6 overs), 2-236 (Gill, 61.5), 3-307 (Pant, 80.4), 4-319 (Rahul, 84.1), 5-357 (Padikkal, 91.3), 6-377 (Jadeja, 98.1), 7-432 (Jurel, 109.1), 8-447 (Siraj, 112.6), 9-447 (Suthar, 113.1).

Sri Lanka bowling: Asitha 17-1-61-1, Kumara 13-1-76-0, Nuwantha 39-1-175-3, Prabath 39-6-109-4, Dhananjaya 4-0-15-0, Dinusha 4-0-17-0.

Published – August 16, 2026 07:03 pm IST

Devdutt Padikkal in action during the warm up game against SLC XI. Picture: X/@BCCI

Lunith Sisodia and Tushar Singh of Shivamogga Yodhas in action against Mysore Warriors during the KSCA Maharaja Trophy T20 Eliminator match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday, 10 July, 2026.
| Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN

c’s Devdutt Padikkal walks back to the pavilion after losing his wicket to Chennai Super Kings’ Jamie Overton during their Indian Premier League 2026 match at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium. File
| Photo Credit: ANI