New Delhi: The recently concluded two-match Test series between India and Sri Lanka witnessed spectacular batting performances, but the final post-match presentation left many fans scratching their heads. Despite a monstrous run-scoring spree from Sri Lanka’s Sonal Dinusha, Indian batter Devdutt Padikkal was crowned the ‘Player of the Series.’
If you followed the thrilling series closely, Dinusha was arguably the standout performer for the hosts. In the second Test played in Colombo, he became a massive roadblock for the Indian bowlers, registering centuries in both innings to secure an epic draw for his team. Across four innings in the two matches, the Sri Lankan batter amassed a staggering 420 runs at a breathtaking average of 140. With three centuries and a half-century to his name, Dinusha finished at the very top of the run-scoring charts.
However, the coveted Player of the Series title went to Devdutt Padikkal, who finished second on the highest run-scorers list. Batting at the crucial number three position, Padikkal aggregated 328 runs in three innings at an outstanding average of 109.33. The elegant southpaw scored two centuries during the tour, playing brilliant knocks of 167 and 44 in the opening encounter, followed by a solid 117 in the second Test.
Speaking at the post-match presentation after receiving the award, Padikkal expressed his satisfaction but lamented the drawn result in Colombo. “It is a great feeling. It would have been even better if we had won this match too. But I am happy that I contributed,” he remarked.
For Padikkal, this series marks a highly successful return to the Test arena. Before the Sri Lanka tour, he last played a red-ball match for Team India in November 2024. Capitalising on this comeback after a two-year hiatus, he has firmly staked a claim for a permanent spot in the national side. In his short Test career of four matches so far, Padikkal has accumulated 418 runs in six innings at an average of 69.66, which includes two centuries and a fifty.