Devdutt Padikkal made the most out of the opportunity and slammed a century batting at number three in the warm-up game against Sri Lanka XI. Padikkal, who batted at number three in Sai Sudharsan’s absence, slammed an unbeaten 142 off 164 balls. Courtesy of his century, India registered a big total of 357 on the board. Padikkal was elated after his century and he sent a two-word message on Instagram. “Warmed up,” he wrote. Padikkal’s post was a direct message to the team management that he is ready for the Test series.

Padikkal is now the favourite to bat at number three in Sudharsan’s absence. Sudharsan has been ruled out of the series due to a toe injury. Sarfaraz Khan has replaced him.

Padikkal has only played two Tests so far. He made his debut against England in March 2024. He played his next game against Australia in Perth later that year. Padikkal has been on the bench since then. He has scored 90 runs in three innings. Padikkal has scored 38 runs in two T20Is. He is uncapped in ODIs.

The India-Sri Lanka Test series will kick off on August 15. The series opener will be played at the Galle International Stadium in Galle. The second game of the series will be played in Colombo from August 23 to 27.

Shubman Gill will lead India in Sri Lanka for the first time in his career. India have struggled against spin in the past couple of years and they will have their task cut out in the upcoming series.

India’s squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka: Shubman Gill (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain, Auqib Nabi, Sarfaraz Khan