Indian cricket's recent upheavals have left KL Rahul as the team's most senior batter, and after the resounding victory in Galle he has been effusive in praise for the man at the opposite end of the experience spectrum. Breaking down Devdutt Padikkal's stupendous maiden Test century, Rahul put it on a pedestal.

"I think that innings was 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," Rahul said after the match.

A battle against the elements

The Galle surface was kind, but the heat was severe. Padikkal still batted for 230 deliveries on his way to 167, while Rahul himself was in the middle for 175 balls before severe cramps forced him to retire hurt. He knew exactly how harsh the conditions were and saw how well his Karnataka teammate tamed them.

"The conditions were really hot and it was challenging physically as well. So for him to get through that and firstly to get his first 100 is a special moment but to go on from there and get a big 100 and stitch partnerships with different players and get a big first innings total really set up this Test match," Rahul observed.

Sri Lanka head coach Gary Kirsten was equally impressed. "Dev Padikkal played one of the better Test match innings that I've seen. He didn't play too aggressively, but just played within himself and just batted for a long period. And it was a good lesson for any Test match batsman on how to map out a big hundred," Kirsten said.

A product of the India A pathway

Padikkal's latest Test opportunity came after nearly a two-year gap, but walking into Galle he looked more at home in the format and the conditions than any other batter across the two teams. Rahul put that unwavering step at this level down to the exceptional A team structure that has benefitted so many Indian cricketers.

"I think a lot of credit goes to how our first class set up is done and how some of these guys are in the India A structure for the last few years. The teams are touring to countries that we're going to play in a couple of months before. So Devdutt was here a month or six weeks before the Test series and played a couple of games there and then we played a practice game here so (he) got used to those conditions," Rahul opined.

Less than a month since winning IPL 2026, Padikkal was in Galle to turn out for India A. He featured in two unofficial Tests, coming away with scores of 12 & 67 in the first and a 94, before also scoring a 164-ball 142 in a warm-up match against the SLC XI in Colombo - a fitting precursor to his big maiden Test hundred.

The bridge to the top level

For Rahul, side experiences act as the perfect bridge for players like Padikkal hoping to cross over to the highest level. Besides the feel of putting bat to red ball and negotiating the vagaries of conditions, it also makes them acutely aware of the expectations awaiting them in the seniors' dressing room.

"Once you put players in those positions and give them the exposure and the experience that they need at that level, I feel like that really helps them understand what they need to do when they come into the national team and they're better prepared and give themselves a better chance to do well at this level," he said.

"It's not like you play Ranji Trophy cricket and go straight into an Indian team and a Test match in a couple of months time. That difference is huge, the standard from there to here is a big jump so then sometimes the players are found wanting and they need to figure their game at the international level," Rahul added.

"When there is already so much pressure, it becomes hard sometimes. But because of the way Indian cricket is structured and first-class cricket is structured - they go from Ranji trophy to playing a lot of India A games. They have toured Australia, Sri Lanka, England all of these places so it helps them get better at their game and understand their game and by the time they have got their Test cap, they are well aware of their own game and the expectations of playing at international cricket," Rahul concluded.