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India National Cricket Team secured a dominant 165-run victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test of the two-match series in Galle. Devdutt Padikkal was the star performer for the visitors and was named the Player of the Match after playing a brilliant knock of 167 runs in India's first innings.
Speaking after the win, Devdutt Padikkal reflected on his performance and India's overall display in the Test. The southpaw was delighted with the way India executed their plans throughout the match and helped the team take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Devdutt Padikkal's batting masterclass helps India win Galle Test
India had complete control from the very first day after skipper Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to bat first. The two openers, KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, looked good initially, but Jaiswal was unfortunately run out after scoring 32 runs.
Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal then stitched together a 150-run partnership, with Padikkal taking charge and scoring a brilliant 167 runs. The southpaw was batting at No.3 for the first time for India in this format and looked comfortable throughout his innings.
Rahul also contributed with 82 runs, while Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel and Manav Suthar made useful contributions of 39, 51 and 24 runs respectively. India eventually posted a massive 462 in their first innings.
Sri Lanka responded with 284 in their first innings. The Indian bowlers dominated early on, but Sonal Dinusha and Niroshan Dickwella put together a solid 126-run partnership for the sixth wicket, scoring 100 and 80 respectively, to help the hosts save the follow-on.
India carried a 178-run lead into their second innings and added another 193 runs before being bowled out. Rishabh Pant led the scoring with a fiery 66, setting Sri Lanka a target of 372 runs.
Sri Lanka once again made a poor start and were reduced to 21/3. Dhananjaya de Silva and Sonal Dinusha then put together a 95-run partnership to keep the hosts in the contest. However, once Dhananjaya was dismissed for 59, Sri Lanka lost wickets at regular intervals. Dinusha top-scored with 84, but the hosts were eventually bowled out as India completed a 165-run victory.
"I think we played some really good cricket": Devdutt Padikkal delighted with Galle Test win
Devdutt Padikkal was delighted with India's performance and said he could not have asked for anything better after playing Tests at Dharamsala, Perth and now Galle.
“Yeah, it's been one of those things in my career. I started in Dharamshala (Test debut), then a Test in Perth, and now Galle. But I couldn't have asked for anything better. The game was amazing. I think we played some really good cricket and really happy with the win," Devdutt Padikkal said.
Devdutt Padikkal also felt the Galle pitch changed as the Test progressed but remained a good surface throughout the five days.
“Definitely, I think the wicket had its natural wear and tear. But I think it was a great Test match wicket. I think all five days it played pretty well. Definitely, it started to turn a lot more from the third day onwards. But I think at the end of the day, it was all about who came out better in terms of their skill sets, and I think we did that well,” Devdutt Padikkal added.
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"Obviously, it was a bit of a slowish wicket": Devdutt Padikkal on Galle Test pitch
Devdutt Padikkal also explained how the nature of the Galle surface affected the batters, particularly against the left-arm spinners. He felt the pitch was slightly slow and did not offer too much bite, which helped the left-handers negotiate the spinners.
"Not really, but obviously it being very dominated by left-arm spinners bowling a lot, I think that contributes to that.
"Obviously, it was a bit of a slowish wicket. It wasn't providing that much bite off the wicket, so the left-handers were able to negotiate the left-arm spinners much better. I think that was the key," Devdutt Padikkal concluded.
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