India vs Sri Lanka XI warm-up match: Padikkal seals No. 3 spot with s…

Devdutt Padikkal assured his spot in India’s playing eleven for the opening Test with a stylish century on the second day of the warm-up match against Sri Lanka Cricket XI, while seasoned Rishabh Pant and his understudy Dhruv Jurel failed to make the most of favourable batting conditions.

At the end of the second day, India finished its first innings at 357 for eight in 90 overs. Padikkal’s artistic unbeaten 142 and a gritty 63 (retired out) by veteran Ravindra Jadeja were the highlights, while Manav Suthar (41) also impressed with the bat on his maiden overseas international assignment.

The pitch had become much easier to bat on, and Padikkal took full advantage, hitting 18 delectable boundaries to show that he is ready to reclaim his rightful place now that first-choice No. 3 batter Sai Sudharsan has been ruled out of the series after failing to recover in time from his big-toe injury. zeppelin.cool

With Yashasvi Jaiswal (0) falling off the second delivery of the day while attempting to flash at left-arm seamer Vishwa Fernando (1/42), KL Rahul (40) and Padikkal added 96 for the second wicket.

While Rahul played himself in, the sinewy Padikkal was a treat to watch, opening with a couple of cover drives off fuller deliveries before unleashing some delectable cuts both in front of and behind point. He was particularly severe on right arm pacer Ishitha Wijesundara who was hit for multiple boundaries. Anything short from pacers or spinners was pulled with a lot of disdain. The famous ‘Nataraja Shot’ also came out of the closet against the pacers.

The hallmark of Padikkal’s batting was the extra second he almost seems to have while deciding on his execution. His defence has also got tighter and the footwork against spinners has been exemplary. A pull shot off off-spinner Ramesh Mendis brought up his ton in just 121 balls before he was asked to retire.

By then, he had added 72 runs for the third wicket with Jadeja, who again showed why he is a valuable asset as a middle order batter overseas even as his spin bowling stocks has depleted quite considerably.

The biggest disappointment of the day was certainly Rishabh Pant (2) who once again played an indiscreet shot against off-spinner Mendis (2/77) trying to hit him against the turn over long-on. The leading edge flew to long-off.

If Pant perished going for the offensive, Dhruv Jurel’s (1) technical ineptness against off-spinner was exposed once again after the South Africa Test series. A forward defensive prod and the inside edge flew to short square leg fielder who caught it on second attempt.

But Manav Suthar, who is impressing everyone with his heart and commitment joined Jadeja as the duo added 76 to steady the ship. Towards the end, Padikkal once again came out to bat and added four more boundaries to his quota of 14 in company of Saransh Jain (22 retired out).

With the two-Test series against Sri Lanka around the corner, one question stands out for India:

How important is it for Kuldeep Yadav to make himself India’s lead spinner?

The question becomes even more relevant with Ravindra Jadeja back in the squad and younger options such as Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain around him. Kuldeep has the experience and the skill set, but now he needs to take ownership of the role.

Kuldeep has also developed into a more rounded bowler over the years. He entered the Sri Lanka series with 79 Test wickets from 18 matches, while his recent Test numbers underline how effective he can be when given an extended role. He took 12 wickets in India’s two-Test series against the West Indies in October 2025.

The Wrist-Spin Advantage: Why He Doesn’t Need the Pitch’s Help

A wrist-spinner at his best doesn’t need much assistance from the pitch; he can create pressure and pick up wickets purely through skill, regardless of conditions. That’s what makes Kuldeep such a valuable option for India. Add to that his experience of playing in different conditions over the years, and the case for backing him grows stronger.

His biggest asset remains his variety. He can turn the ball both ways and has a quicker delivery in his armoury, giving him more than one way to trouble a batter, something that becomes especially important over the course of a Test match, where patience and doubt often decide a dismissal.

The Warning Signs- Fewer Revs, A Dropping Arm

Having said all that, Kuldeep is not in the best of form at the moment, and one of the concerns is that he is not imparting as many revolutions on the ball as he would ideally want. His bowling arm also appears to have become lower. For a wrist-spinner, even small changes like these can affect how much dip and turn he’s able to generate.

A higher-arm release, combined with a strong pivot, can help Kuldeep impart more revolutions on the ball. More revolutions can generate greater overspin and sharper dip, making it harder for batters to judge the trajectory and length.

So, for Kuldeep, it is not simply about turning the ball. It is about maximising the revolutions and bringing back the dip that can make his bowling even more difficult to read.

The Bottom Line

Kuldeep has the tools: the experience, the variety, and the ability to turn the ball both ways: to be India’s go-to spinner. What he needs now is to sharpen the basics that have slipped a little and turn potential into control. If he can do that, this series against Sri Lanka could be the moment he moves from being an option to being the leader of India’s spin attack.

The post Kuldeep Yadav: Time to Take Charge of India’s Spin Attack? appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.

Devdutt Padikkal assured his spot in India’s playing XI for the opening Test with a stylish century on Day Two of the warm-up match against Sri Lanka Cricket XI, while seasoned Rishabh Pant (2) and his understudy Dhruv Jurel (1) failed to make the most of favourable batting conditions.

India finished its first innings at 357-6 in 90 overs. Padikkal’s artistic unbeaten 142 and a gritty 63 (retired out) by veteran Ravindra Jadeja were the highlights, while Manav Suthar (41) also impressed with the bat on his maiden overseas international assignment.

Ravindra Jadeja celebrates after his half-century on Saturday

Padikkal hit 18 boundaries to show that he is ready to reclaim his rightful place now that first-choice No. 3 batter Sai Sudharsan has been ruled out of the series. With Yashasvi Jaiswal (0) falling off the second delivery, KL Rahul (40) and Padikkal added 96 for the second wicket.

While Rahul played himself in, the sinewy Padikkal was a treat to watch, opening with a couple of cover drives off fuller deliveries before unleashing some delectable cuts both in front of and behind point. Anything short from pacers or spinners was pulled with disdain. The famous ‘Nataraja Shot’ also came out of the closet against the pacers.

A pull shot off off-spinner Ramesh Mendis brought up his ton in just 121 balls before he was asked to retire. By then, he had added 72 with Jadeja, who again showed his value as a middle-order batter overseas.

The biggest disappointment of the day was certainly Pant, who once again played an indiscreet shot against off-spinner Mendis (2-77), trying to hit him over long-on against the turn. The leading edge flew to long-off. Towards the end, Padikkal once again came out to bat and added four more boundaries to his quota of 14.

18
No of fours smashed by Devdutt Padikkal against SLC XI on Saturday

65
Padikkal’s highest score, which came in his debut innings against England; the top-order batter has scored a total of 90 runs in two Tests

2024
The year Devdutt Padikkal played his last of two Tests

8
No of 50-plus scores by Jadeja in his last 13 Test innings