Devdutt Padikkal slams second Test ton, joins Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag in elite list

In a series of big events, Devdutt Padikkal has made the most of his chances in the Test series against Sri Lanka, delivering a series of impressive performances on his comeback to the setup after almost two years. Deployed to bat at No.3 after Sai Sudharsan's injury, the left-handed batter has boosted his case for a permanent spot by scoring his second century of the series in the Colombo Test. 

His consistency as also provided India with a solid option for a batting position that has lacked stability since Cheteshwar Pujara's retirement. Padikkal's latest hundred carried additional importance as it helped him to level a notable achievement previously record by legendary Sachin Tendulkar.

Devdutt Padikkal led the charge

India endured an early setback at 37 when KL Rahul lost his wicket for just 18 runs off 33 balls in Colombo. After the early wicket, Padikkal took charge of the innings and ensured that Sri Lanka could not make further damage. The Karnataka-based batter showed a calm mindset and stayed at the crease across all three sessions before bringing up his second hundred from 168 balls, hitting 10 boundaries. Havin already struck a brilliant 176 in the series opener, Padikkal followed it up with another century in the second Test, a performance that also saw him  add a number of records to his name.

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Padikkal enters record books

Padikkal's latest hundred saw him become only the seventh Indian batter to notch up two centuries in a Test series against Sri Lanka, putting him in an elite club that includes Sachin Tendulkar. The left-handed batter also became the sixth Indian to accumulate 300 or more runs in a single Test series against Sri Lanka. His impressive run on the series has helped him draw level with Vinod Kambli, Mohammad Azharuddin, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane for the most number of Test centuries by an Indian on Sri Lankan soil.

Padikkal also became the first Indian batter since Pujara to score hundreds in successive Tests while batting at No.3. Pujara completed the feat against Australia during the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar trophy, smashing centuries in Melbourne and Sydney.