Devdutt Padikkal has taken the Player of the Series honours in India’s 1-0 Test series win over Sri Lanka, amassing 328 runs at an average of over 109.
The left-handed opener struck two centuries across the series, with a best of 167, having stepped up after Sai Sudharsan was ruled out with injury.
“It feels great. Coming into the series, once I knew I was going to get that opportunity, I was looking forward to it, that this was my chance to really prove something,” Padikkal said.
He added that he hoped to “take the confidence I have got from this forward” in his career, after a series in which he also answered questions about his game against spin.
India won the series after a 165-run victory in the first Test at Galle, with the second Test in Colombo ending in a draw following twin centuries from Sri Lanka’s Sonal Dinusha.
The left-hander’s performance has strengthened his case for a settled opening role in India’s Test line-up heading into the team’s upcoming home season.
Padikkal stepped into the side as a replacement for injured opener Sai Sudharsan, and made the most of the opportunity across the two-Test series.
He carried strong domestic form into the tour, including a 232-run knock in the Ranji Trophy semifinal earlier in the year, which had already marked him out as in-form ahead of the Sri Lanka assignment.
“When you come to Sri Lanka, you always expect that spin challenge, and I was personally looking forward to the same, making sure I was prepared really well leading up to the series,” Padikkal said.
“Now I am happy I was able to tackle spin well, to the best of my ability, and I hope I continue to work on it and get better at it,” he added.
Photo by Lionel Allorge, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (representative cricket image)