From the moment Shubman Gill stepped off the team bus, all eyes were on his ring finger, which he had injured and which ruled him out of Day 1. He also missed Day 2. When the spotlight shifted to the field, the Nondescripts Cricket Club (NCC) witnessed a classy and timely hundred from the bat of Devdutt Padikkal. The Karnataka-based batter was one of the few positives for India to take away from what was largely a disappointing day for the batting group.
While Padikkal was celebrating his hundred, news emerged that Sai Sudharsan is highly likely to miss the Sri Lanka tour. As confirmed by RevSportz earlier in the day, Sudharsan is still at the Centre of Excellence, nursing an injury.
The hundred could not have come at a better time for Padikkal. He has sealed the number three spot for the series opener in Galle.
It was a fluent innings from Padikkal. Right from the start, he looked solid. Against the pacers, his footwork was immaculate, but what was more impressive was his game against spin. In the two practice sessions at the NCC, he did not look at his best against spin, especially against the off-spin of Saransh Jain. The same batter looked authoritative against SLC XI off-spinners Keshara Nuwantha and Ramesh Mendis. Both spinners bowled well and shared three important wickets between them.
The most likeable feature of Padikkal’s batting was that he played conventional cricketing shots. Having struggled to connect with the sweep shot in the nets, the tall left-hander refrained from playing that stroke. Padikkal capitalised on the scoring opportunities and reached the three-figure mark at a strike rate of over 80. During his innings, he was struck on the helmet by Lahiru Kumara, but that did not deter him.
Apart from Padikkal, Ravindra Jadeja also looked in full flow with the bat. Coming in at number four, Jadeja neutralised the threat posed by the Sri Lankan spinners, who bowled well after the first session. Along with Manav Suthar, he forged an important 76-run stand for the sixth wicket. Much like Jadeja, Suthar also had no difficulty facing either the pacers or the spinners. The highlight of his innings was the inside-out shot he played against Mendis. Earlier in the day, Manav was seen practising in the nets and receiving some valuable tips from Gill.
The two wicketkeeper-batters, Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel, failed to make the most of the ideal batting conditions. The same was the case with Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was dismissed with the second delivery of the day.
Three batters were retired out — Padikkal, Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav. The others succumbed to spin as SLC XI dominated the entire day, taking nine wickets. There was a short spell of rain that brought an early close to the first session.
In the closing moments of the day, Padikkal came out to bat again.
Overall, it was another poor day for India, both on and off the field. At the heart of another disappointing day was India’s continued struggle against spin.
Brief Scores: Indians 357/8 (Padikkal 142*, Jadeja 63) trail SLC XI 363/8 decl by 6 runs.
The post Padikkal Hundred Masks India’s Spin Woes, Gill Misses Day 2 as Sudharsan Set to Miss Sri Lanka Tour appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.
