India have a No. 3 headache again, but not the kind they had heading into the series opener against Sri Lanka in Galle on Saturday, or the one they have dealt with since Cheteshwar Pujara’s departure.
This time, it is a problem created by success.
Fresh into the role and batting at No. 3 for only the third time in his Test career, Devdutt Padikkal produced a superb maiden international century, an unbeaten 131 that sparked a debate over where Sai Sudharsan fits when he returns from his injury layoff.
Sudharsan has been India’s designated No. 3 and was expected to continue in the role on the Sri Lanka tour until a toe injury ruled him out. He sustained the injury during the India A series in Sri Lanka last month. While India brought in Sarfaraz Khan as his replacement, Padikkal was identified to take up the No. 3 role in the Galle opener.
Predominantly an opening batter for Karnataka, Padikkal had batted only twice previously in the middle-order role in Tests. He scored 65 on debut against England in 2024 but struggled in his sole appearance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy that year, managing 0 and 25 at No. 3.
There was no such uncertainty on Saturday.
Padikkal remained unbeaten on a sensational 131 as India ended the opening day on 288 for two, putting themselves in a strong position against Sri Lanka.
The century has already prompted experts to reveal their cards. Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar, for one, has explicitly backed Padikkal to retain the No. 3 role going forward.
But does the Indian camp see it the same way?
Speaking to reporters in Galle, India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak addressed the brewing Padikkal-Sudharsan debate and suggested that the team is unlikely to be rigid about the batting positions.
“I think Devdutt batted really well. So Sai also has been batting really well at that number. But the thing is they all are new-ball batsmen. So they open, they go number three, so we are very flexible.”
Kotak added that the team would focus less on the number next to a batter’s name and more on how he adapts to different situations.
“I would look at the way they bat, how they are adapting to conditions, how they are dealing with the different stages of a match, and that is very important for me rather than number three or four or five.”
The debate largely stems from the fact that Sudharsan hasn’t quite impressed in the No. 3 role yet. Handed the position for the first time during last year’s England tour, he managed just one half-century. The selectors and team management retained their faith in him and promised him a longer rope, but even in home conditions, the left-hander has yet to produce a big score or show the consistency expected of him. Overall, he has scored 383 runs in 12 innings at 31.91, with three fifties.
Padikkal will bat at No. 3 in the second Test as well, with India expected to have a clearer answer to the debate during their tour of New Zealand in November.
How did Padikkal prepare for the Galle Test?
Kotak also revealed the work that went into Padikkal’s preparation for the Sri Lanka series, particularly against spin-friendly conditions.
“I am so happy for him because he was actually waiting for his opportunity. The way he played here and in the warm-up match, it’s really encouraging,” Kotak said in the post-day press conference.
He said Padikkal had worked extensively on his back-foot game at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, anticipating the turn expected from the Galle surface.
“Preparation, I would say, overall the way Devdutt was preparing and I saw it in the NCA (BCCI CoE)… he was working on his back-foot game. We try that when we expect a turn from a pitch.”
The team also worked on his ability to step out and use the sweep against spin.
“We also tried to work on step-out, sweep besides the back-foot game. So, a lot of credit goes to him, the way he has prepared himself for the last couple of years,” Kotak added.
Padikkal’s innings offered plenty of evidence that the preparation had worked.
He was predominantly comfortable playing from the back foot but also stepped out to the Sri Lankan spinners when the opportunity presented itself. His six off left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya, when he stepped out and creamed the ball over long-on, was a perfect example of the approach Kotak described.
He was equally effective with the sweep, scoring nearly 40 runs through that shot during his unbeaten 131.
