I couldn't have asked for anything better – Devdutt Padikkal on his match-defining performance

Devdutt Padikkal dropped a match-defining masterclass in Galle to help India secure a crucial 1-0 lead in the ongoing Test series. For his knocks of 167 in the first innings and 44 in the second, he won the Player of the Match award.

Talking at the post-match presentation, Padikkal opened up on his Test journey while shedding light on the conditions and how they evolved during the course of the game.

Reflecting on his journey in Tests, DDP said, “Yeah, it's been one of those things in my career. I started in Dharamshala (Test debut), then a Test in Perth, and now Galle. But I couldn't have asked for anything better. The game was amazing. I think we played some really good cricket and really happy with the win.”

Explaining the surface, Padikkal added, “Definitely, I think the wicket had its natural wear and tear. But I think it was a great Test match wicket. I think all five days it played pretty well. Definitely, it started to turn a lot more from the third day onwards. But I think at the end of the day, it was all about who came out better in terms of their skill sets, and I think we did that well.”

He concluded by saying, “Not really, but obviously it being very dominated by left-arm spinners bowling a lot, I think that contributes to that. Obviously, it was a bit of a slowish wicket. It wasn't providing that much bite off the wicket, so the left-handers were able to negotiate the left-arm spinners much better. I think that was the key.”