Former player turned commentator Russel Arnold does not feel that Team India’s batting unit did exceptionally well despite a stunning 165-run win in the first Test against Sri Lanka at the Galle International Stadium. India posted 462 in the first innings after opting to bat first, before collapsing to 193 all out in the second innings to hand Sri Lanka a 372-run target.
Devdutt Padikkal (167) and KL Rahul (82) scored more than half of Team India’s first-innings total score as well.

“When you look at the batting, other than Padikkal and Rahul, if you took that partnership out, they have not scored a lot. So, would you say that is your best? There are quality players like Gill, Jadeja, Pant, and Jaiswal, even though they did not perform, India got to a good score, and that is a sign of a strong team. But it wouldn’t be the best performance, because these players did not perform, did they?” Russel Arnold said to a select group of reporters during a chat organised by Sony Sports Network.

“You come to the bowling, they did well as a unit. The fast bowlers with little on offer showed a lot of heart and brought different type of skills to make things happen to break Sri Lanka’s rhythm, and got them vital breakthroughs. So it was impressive to see how they went about their business, but on the other hand, Sri Lanka did not push them enough,” he further added.

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However, the battle for the No.3 spot between Devdutt Padikkal and Sai Sudharsan has made headlines after Padikkal’s stellar ton in the first Test in Galle as well. Russel Arnold also stated that Devdutt Padikkal should hold Team India’s No.3
spot in Tests purely on merit.

“If you are talking about selection going forward, I would go with Padikkal, he is looking good, he is scoring runs, he looks an all-round player, and the perfect player for the position at the moment. Sai Sudharsan is also a quality player, but he has played just seven Tests, and if you compare their records, he has not out-batted anyone yet,” he said.

“On those grounds, I will go with the player in form. It is not as though Padikkal is pushing out Dravid or even a Gill. I think Padikkal’s looking really good, does not let anything fluster him. I would let his form flow through, no disrespect to Sai Sudharsan but that’s the way the cookie crumbles,” he concluded.