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The India National Cricket Team have finally secured its first Test series win in two or more matches post the West Indies series. This is also Shubman Gill’s first Test win away from home. After the milestone, Team India has always provided an Impact Player of the Series or Match across formats in bilateral series and in major tournaments as well.
Sri Lanka earned a hard-fought draw in the 2nd Test match at Colombo, after the trophy presentation, in the Indian dressing room, the Impact Player of the Series was presented. There were three contenders, Devdutt Padikkal, Manav Suthar and Prasidh Krishna. The Karnataka-based pacer earned the award from the team’s performance analyst Hari Prasad Mohan.
India ignores Devdutt Padikkal, provides Impact Player award to Prasidh Krishna
Hari Prasad Mohan, while speaking on the BCCI TV, presented the award to Prasidh Krishna and said that the pacer made the ball talk and asked questions to the batters whenever he was thrown the ball. He, after landing in Sri Lanka, asked the analyst for the videos of the batters after they landed in Colombo and he can also be the future analyst of the team.
Hari Prasad Mohan said, "So, the impact player of the series goes to someone who had put the hard yards, made the ball talk, kept asking the right questions to the batters, even in these adverse conditions, he made an impact with the ball whenever he got the opportunity."
"And ever since we landed in Colombo, you know, he had been on my ears asking for a lot of data and honestly, in this team, if there is someone who can have a second job as an analyst, that would be him. And for his relentlessness, wickets, impact and way too many questions for me, which I enjoy, it's Prasidh Krishna."
"I think everybody..": Prasidh Krishna thanks each player after winning Impact Player Award
After receiving the award, Prasidh Krishna stated that he feels great and thanks every team member and the coaching staff as well. He credited the way the team played in this series and helping out each member of the team even while sitting outside.
Prasidh Krishna said, "Thank you very much. Nothing would be possible without each one of you. I think everybody, the ones that are playing, obviously, are worth the credit that they have put in, but everybody around. I think it takes a lot for everybody to play. We are here for a camp. We did such a long time.
"This is every session to see all of you on lockdown. Thank you so much. Everybody, even during such hot days, everybody is sitting out there, standing out there, helping out with water and all the reserves out there, coming in, running in, helping out all of us."
He concluded saying, "So, this effort is going to take us all a long way. So, this is the way the team has to be run, and thank you so much."
Devdutt Padikkal's form vs Sri Lanka
However, despite the shocking call not presenting the Impact Player of the Series to Devdutt Padikkal, who was also named the Player of the Series for his amazing performance. Devdutt Padikkal was not supposed to feature in the series and came in for Sai Sudharsan and showcased his talent in the warm-up match with a brilliant 142.
Later on, while batting at No.3 for the first time in his international career, Devdutt Padikkal showed all his experience and class from playing domestic cricket over a long period of time. Devdutt Padikkal was calm and composed and scored a brilliant 167 in the first innings of the first Test, followed by a 44-run knock in the second innings.
Devdutt Padikkal did not stop as he scored 117 runs in Colombo in the only innings he got a chance to bat in. He scored a total of 328 runs across his Test matches against Sri Lanka in the August 2026 series and was thus rewarded with his first Man of the Series award.
