Team India batter KL Rahul said Devdutt Padikkal’s first-innings hundred in the Galle Test against Sri Lanka was the defining aspect of the match. He also hailed the southpaw for overcoming challenging conditions and converting his maiden Test hundred into a big score as well. However, Padikkal was named Player of the Match for his knocks of 167 & 44 as India
beat Sri Lanka by 165 runs in the first Test in Galle on Wednesday, August 19 as well.

At the post-match press conference, Rahul said (via Revsportz): “That innings was, I think for me, the defining part of this Test match. The way he batted, the tempo that he batted with and to go on and get a big 100 in the first innings really set up the game for us. The conditions were really hot and it was challenging physically as well, so for him to get through that… and get a big first-innings total really set up this Test match.”

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While Devdutt Padikkal was the standout batter for India in Galle, KL Rahul also played well, making crucial contributions with scores of 82 and 35. He has also improved his consistency tremendously in the last couple of years.

Speaking about his growth as a Test batter, Rahul stated, “Since I’ve been doing that and feeling confident in that, I think I carry that calmness into every Test match because I feel like I’ve done all of those things right. There’s a sense of balance and calmness now that, after having played so many Test matches, when I walk into a Test match.”

“I think we ticked most of the boxes and we did most of the things right that we spoke about before the Test match and the way we prepared, I think we could put that into practice,” KL Rahul concluded.