Here’s the list — Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Sai Sudharsan, Washington Sundar and now Devdutt Padikkal. Seven different players have batted at No. 3 for India in the last three years, since the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) final. Before Galle on Saturday, the last time an Indian batsman scored a Test hundred in that position was in September 2024 — Gill’s 119 not out against Bangladesh at Chepauk.
From that perspective, Padikkal’s maiden Test ton on the first day of the first Test against Sri Lanka today broke a hoodoo. Is it also a baby step towards achieving the much-needed stability at No. 3?
Sitanshu Kotak, India’s batting coach, kept the debate open. “See, I think he (Padikkal) batted really well,” Kotak said at the press conference at the end of the day’s play. “So Sai, also, has been batting really well at that number. But the thing is, they all are new-ball batsmen. So they open, they go at No. 3. We are very flexible in that way. Mainly, I would look at the way they bat, how they are adapting to conditions and how they are dealing with the different stages (of the game).”
A foot injury ruled Sai out of this two-match series. Padikkal, though, was waiting in the wings. He was ready, and when the opportunity came, the Karnataka batsman grabbed it with both hands. Preparation played a key part in Padikkal’s success, and Kotak spoke about that.
“Preparation, I would say, overall, the way Devdutt, when I was at the NCA also, the way he was preparing — he was working on his initial (trigger movement), and he was working on his back-foot game,” the batting coach explained. “I think he has done well, but it’s not just preparation now. A lot of credit goes to him, the way he has prepared himself for the last couple of years.”
Too much tinkering with the batting order can make players insecure. It certainly doesn’t allow a batsman to get into the groove. It would be interesting to see the Indian team management’s approach going ahead. Padikkal has given the team a serious option to think about.
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