Devdutt Padikkal registers maiden Test hundred in third red-ball outing at Galle vs Sri Lanka - Firstpost

Devdutt Padikkal registered his maiden Test hundred in his third red-ball outing in the opening Test against Sri Lanka on Saturday at the iconic Galle International Stadium. The Karnataka batter's strong outing has helped India stay in command over the hosts' bowling attack on day one. Padikkal continued his fine form in red-ball cricket across domestic and India A outings. He also smashed an unbeaten 142 off 164 deliveries in the three-day warm-up fixture against Sri Lanka XI at the Nondescripts Cricket Club in Colombo. Padikkal smashes maiden Test hundred at Galle In the fifth delivery of the 56th over, Padikkal drove Keshara Nuwantha's delivery towards mid-off and sprinted for a single to secure his maiden Test ton. As the Indian batter ran towards the bowler's end, he screamed 'Yeah', clenched his fists, punched the air in excitement and followed it up with a jump. MAIDEN TEST HUNDRED! 💯 A special moment on a special day for Devdutt Padikkal in Galle 🥳 Updates ▶️ https://t.co/M9LVyCAp8y#TeamIndia | #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/8x1HcYeFbA — BCCI (@BCCI) August 15, 2026 DDP took his helmet off and raised his bat in celebration as the crowd serenaded him with applause. The Indian dressing room stood up and applauded, with head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar also celebrating Padikkal. Also Read | Cricket icons Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar & Rohit Sharma lead wishes on India's 80th Independence Day Padikkal also received a warm hug from India captain Shubman Gill on the field as part of the celebration. Padikkal solidifies grip in No. 3 batting spot Padikkal stepped in as the No. 3 batter after B Sai Sudharsan was ruled out due to an injury. While he was part of the squad, his status depended on his fitness, and he failed to recover in time for Sri Lanka Tests. Also Read | No Sarfaraz Khan as India announce Playing XI for Galle Test vs Sri Lanka The left-handed top-order batter averaged 60.33 in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season, and he continued his firm outing with a statement performance to solidify his grip on the No. 3 batting spot in Test cricket.