Devdutt Padikkal said his maiden Test century against Sri Lanka was the result of two years of hard work and preparation, after the left-hander scored a career-best 167 in the first Test at Galle.Resuming from an overnight score of 131, Padikkal batted for 230 balls and hit 15 fours and a six to help India reach 460/9 on a rain-hit second day. The Karnataka batter said he had long prepared himself to make the most of an opportunity at the international level.“Definitely. I’ve dreamt of this moment. For the last two years, I’ve been working really hard to try and make sure that when I get that opportunity, I can do something special like this, and I’m really happy to do that,” Padikkal said.

How Padikkal Took on Sri Lanka’s Spinners

Padikkal played with positive intent against spin, using confident footwork and attacking shots to put pressure back on the bowlers.“I think we have discussed that at length, especially when you’re playing spin, it’s important that you have certain plans in your head.“You cannot go out there and expect to react all the time. It’s important that we have a couple of shots in your head that you want to play as soon as you go out there, so that you can put some pressure on the bowler as well. So, I think over the last year or so, we have really worked on trying to find ways in our own strengths that you can really implement to make sure that you put pressure back.”He said clarity and complete commitment to every shot had improved his footwork and confidence.

The Hunger to Keep Scoring

Padikkal did not stop after reaching his century and converted it into 167. He said staying focused immediately after reaching a milestone was crucial.“I think honestly, it’s just the hunger to score more runs. I just enjoy batting out there, and the moment you get to 100, it’s easy to relax and feel that relief. But it’s important that for me, the next 20-30 balls are the really important phase that I try and make sure that I’m completely focused, completely there.“I think when I get past those first 10 balls after 100, I think it makes my job a whole lot easier and over the years, I’ve seen so many cricketers get big runs, get big hundreds, especially back in Karnataka. So just watching them bat makes me want to do the same.”Padikkal expects the Galle pitch to become more challenging over the next few days. After his long innings in humid conditions, however, his celebration plans were simple: “Not really. I think I’m tired, so I’m just going to go back to bed now,” he concluded.