Devdutt Padikkal’s 167 Changes India’s No. 3 Race… Is Sai Sudharsan’s Test Spot Now Under Serious Threat?

Devdutt Padikkal may have entered the first Test against Sri Lanka looking to make the most of an opportunity, but he could leave Galle having dramatically changed the conversation around India’s No. 3 position.

The elegant left-hander produced the biggest Test innings of his career, scoring 167 in India’s first innings at the Galle International Stadium. It was Padikkal’s maiden Test century, and more importantly, an innings that arrived when competition for places in India’s batting order remains intense.

Padikkal had already sent a message to the selectors before the Test series began. In the warm-up fixture against Sri Lanka Cricket XI, he smashed an unbeaten 142, putting himself firmly in contention for a place in the XI.

Now, after converting that form into a major international hundred, the question is difficult to ignore: what happens when Sai Sudharsan is ready to return?

Padikkal Turns His Opportunity Into a Statement

For a player trying to establish himself in the Indian Test side, opportunities can disappear almost as quickly as they arrive.

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Padikkal knew that better than most.

Before this Test, his previous appearance for India in the format had come against Australia in November 2024. His return to the Test XI therefore represented an important second chance, and he responded with the kind of innings that selectors cannot easily dismiss.

Batting at the crucial No. 3 position, Padikkal looked increasingly comfortable against Sri Lanka’s spinners and built an innings that eventually reached 167. His knock played a central role as India reached 460/9 at stumps on Day 2.

It was not simply the number of runs that stood out. The manner in which Padikkal handled the conditions was equally significant.

India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak highlighted Padikkal’s preparation and improvement, particularly his work on the back foot, after the left-hander’s impressive performance in Galle.

For a batter competing for a long-term position in India’s Test top order, that technical progress could prove just as important as the century itself.

Sai Sudharsan Suddenly Has Serious Competition

Padikkal’s rise creates an intriguing situation for Sai Sudharsan.

Sudharsan was included in India’s squad for the Sri Lanka Tests subject to fitness clearance, but his availability became uncertain ahead of the series.

That uncertainty opened the door for another batter — and Padikkal has not merely stepped through it; he has made a compelling argument to keep it open.

This is where India’s selection dilemma becomes fascinating.

When an established or first-choice player misses a series through injury, the replacement is normally expected to make way once that player returns. But cricket selection rarely remains that simple when the replacement starts producing big hundreds.

Padikkal now has back-to-back centuries on the Sri Lanka tour — 142 in the warm-up match and 167 in the first Test.

That kind of form gives the Indian team management something substantial to consider.

Has Padikkal Moved Ahead in the No. 3 Race?

There is another reason why this innings matters.

India’s No. 3 position remains one of the most important roles in the batting order. The player occupying that spot can be asked to walk in almost immediately after an early wicket or build a major partnership when the openers provide a strong platform.

Padikkal’s Galle innings offered evidence that he can adapt to those demands.

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has already backed Padikkal’s credentials for the position, praising his game and suggesting that the Karnataka batter could be a strong option ahead of Sudharsan.

One innings should not permanently settle a selection battle, of course. Sudharsan remains a highly rated young batter, and India’s selectors are unlikely to abandon their longer-term plans on the strength of a single Test.

But Padikkal has ensured that the decision is no longer straightforward.

A Good Problem for India Before Bigger WTC Tests

For India, this is ultimately the sort of problem a Test team wants.

With important World Test Championship 2025-27 assignments ahead, competition among young batters gives the selectors greater flexibility.

Padikkal’s challenge now is consistency.

A spectacular 167 in Galle can put his name at the front of the conversation, but establishing himself as India’s long-term No. 3 will require runs across different conditions and against stronger bowling attacks.

For Sudharsan, meanwhile, the equation may have changed while he has been away.

His path back into the playing XI could now depend not only on his own fitness and performances, but also on whether Padikkal continues making himself impossible to drop.

That is the real significance of what happened in Galle.

Devdutt Padikkal did not simply score his first Test hundred. He may have turned India’s No. 3 position from an opportunity into a selection battle.