Ravindra Jadeja becomes the first Indian left-arm bowler to reach 350 Test wickets

On the third day of the Test match between India and Sri Lanka, Indian bowlers increased the pressure on the home team, but they faced unexpected resistance. Young left-arm spinner Manav Suthar completely dismantled the top order of the Sri Lankan side with his spin. By lunchtime, the home team had lost five wickets, scoring only 99 runs, and it seemed their innings would end quickly after replying to the first innings total of 462.

Dinusha demonstrated incredible patience against the Indian bowlers, recording his first international century. Along with experienced Niroshan Dickwella, he built a partnership of 146 runs for the sixth wicket, forcing India to wait long for the next wicket. In the end, Sri Lanka was brought to 284 runs in the first innings, but India gained a significant advantage of 178 runs.

Sri Lanka needed a strong start to post a large total in the first innings, but Mohammed Siraj dismissed Fernando on the second ball, giving India a brilliant start. Fernando's shot could not counter Siraj's delivery, which was outside off and had lift, and the ball went into the hands of Devdhadh Pathikkala. After this, Manav Suthar took charge.

From the very first ball, Dimuth Chandimal received a slight edge that went into Rishabh Pant's gloves. Then Suthar began troubling the Sri Lankan batsmen by constantly varying the line, trajectory, depth, and turn of the ball. He made the ball fly in the air at speeds exceeding 85 kilometers per hour, extracting help from the fielders.

Lahiru Udara initially countered him for some time and played several impressive pull and cut shots, but Suthar eventually found a way to dismiss him. A weak shot led to Yashwish Kaisaval catching it in the gully. Chamindu Mendis also did not last long. His lofted shot against Kuldeep Yadav's delivery became a victim of Shubman Gill's excellent catch. Captain Danjaya de Silva was caught by Kel Rahul in the slip off Ravindra Jadeja's bowling.

At 99 runs for five wickets, India's position was very solid. However, then came Dinusha's innings.

But in cricket, the competition is not just about statistics. Sri Lanka needed a batsman at that moment who could understand the situation and stabilize the innings. Sonal Dinusha did exactly that. Along with Niroshan Dickwella, he did not rush to attack the Indian spinners. Both chose their shots very cautiously. The sweep became their favorite weapon, and both effectively drove balls coming down the stumps to the boundary using their feet.

Dickwella reached a half-century off 67 balls, while Dinusha required 92 balls to reach that mark. But this slowness became their strength. They fought to preserve wickets rather than score runs. In the second session, Sri Lanka added 116 runs without losing a wicket.

Dickwella capitalized on an opportunity, getting a chance at a duck when his personal score was 20. On a Suthar ball, Kel Rahul could not reach his drive in the slip. However, in the second innings, Dickwella's fate was not kind. When he hit a ball from Krishna, it flew straight into Rishabh Pant's gloves. Dickwella was dismissed on 80 runs off 115 balls. Sri Lanka felt again that the innings was about to end, but Dinusha remained.

Indian batsman Devdhadhat Padikkal demonstrated outstanding play on the first day of the Test match against Sri Lanka in Galle on August 15 (Saturday). Coming in at number three, Padikkal scored his first century in his Test career.

In his first innings for India, Padikkal scored 134 runs, using 9 fours and one six to complete his century.

Devdhadhat Padikkal is the second left-handed batsman in the 21st century to score a hundred while batting at number three for India. Before him, this feat was achieved by Sorav Gavaskar. The former captain of India, Sorav Gavaskar, scored 136 runs against Zimbabwe in Delhi in 2002.

After a long break, no Indian batsman had scored a hundred at number three in Test matches. The last player to achieve this was Shubman Gill, who accomplished this feat in September 2024 against Bangladesh in Chennai.

In the 19 Test matches played between that match and the current one, the Indian team tested seven different batsmen at number three. However, the performance of these seven players in this position did not meet expectations: they averaged 27.28 in 35 innings and managed to reach 50 or more only five times. Now Padikkal has ended a long wait by scoring a hundred in Galle.

This match is the third for 26-year-old Devdhadhat Padikkal. In the two previous Test matches, he scored an average of 90 runs in 30.00. Padikkal debuted in Test matches in March 2024 against England in Darmstadt. In his debut Test innings, Padikkal scored an impressive 65 runs. Furthermore, Padikkal played for the Indian team in two T20 international matches, where he scored an average of 38 runs in 19.00.

Before the start of the test series against Sri Lanka, the Indian team played a three-day practice match against SLC XI (Sri Lanka Cricket Eleven). This match took place at NCC Ground in Colombo, and during the second day (August 8), the Indian batsmen demonstrated impressive play. Devadhe Padikkal scored a magnificent century, and Ravindra Jadeja also managed a half-century innings.

However, among all the events, the fast bowler Gurnoor Barar attracted the most attention. He hit four sixes in one over against Sri Lanka's spinner, Dilum Sudira. Since Barar is primarily a fast bowler, such aggressive play from the lower order delighted the Indian dressing room. Head coach Gautam Gurjeev was also impressed by his hits and supported him with applause.

In the last over of the day, Dilum Sudira came to bowl. After Padikkal scored one run and passed the strike to Barar, the Indian pacer displayed the power of his bat. Barar sent the second ball for six runs over deep mid-wicket, and the next ball for six runs right in front of him. When attempting a sweep on the third ball, he failed to score any runs, which did not affect his aggression. The fifth ball of the over he sent for six runs towards the stadium over deep mid-wicket. Finishing the over with a sixth ball that he sent for six runs over deep extra cover, Barar provided a powerful conclusion to the day. Thanks to this over, India earned 25 runs, and the total score exceeded 350.

Padikkal strengthens his claim for the number three spot

During the second day of the game, India batted for 90 overs, scoring 357 runs for the loss of 6 wickets. The most successful Indian batsman on that day was Padikkal. His unbeaten performance of 142 runs made him a contender for a spot in the first team for the first Test. Sai Sudarshan could not recover from his injury and has been excluded from the Test series. With Sudarshan absent, the number three spot opened up, and thanks to Padikkal's big innings, his chances for this spot are considered high.

Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja decided to retire due to injury after scoring 63 runs. Manav Suthar (41 runs) and Kel Rahul (40 runs) also showed useful performances. Gurnoor Barar scored 36* runs off just 18 balls, including four sixes and two fours. While Padikkal, Rahul, Jadeja, and Suthar spent a lot of time at the crease, Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel could not play big innings.

Rishabh Pant fell victim to off-spinner Ramesh Mendis, scoring only two runs. He attempted a big shot over long-on against the spin, but the ball touched the edge of the bat and went towards long-off. Dhruv Jurel also managed only one run, and Mendis dismissed him. The poor performances of both batsmen in Sri Lanka's spin-friendly conditions present an area that the management team should pay attention to.