Devdutt Padikkal was named the Player of the Match for scoring 167 and 44 in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. With India securing a 165-run win, the southpaw was preferred over Manav Suthar, who took 10 wickets. The decision left former players and fans surprised, with Vivek Razdan questioning the logic. Suthar was his choice, considering his contribution with the ball and India’s success before the arrival of heavy downpour. If the spinner had not taken quick wickets, the game would have ended in a draw due to the weather.
However, Mohammad Kaif was in favour of the call and explained the reason for Padikkal’s selection.
“The ball was turning, so batting was not easy. Shubman Gill doesn’t stop before scoring a hundred, but he failed in both innings. Devdutt Padikkal scored over 160, and that won the game for India. The ball was turning from the first over, and the batting was difficult. Keeping this in mind, Padikkal was preferred over Manav,” said Kaif
The Karnataka-based batter would have warmed the bench if India’s designated number 3, Sai Sudharsan, was fit. However, the Tamil Nadu batter didn’t recover from his toe injury despite working on his fitness at the Center of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, and the team management decided to include Devdutt in the playing XI. He scored an impressive century in the practice game against Sri Lanka Cricket XI, which also increased his chances.
The 26-year-old grabbed the opportunity with both hands and has cemented his place for the second and final Test scheduled to start on August 25 in Colombo. He was part of two Tests before the current game and was waiting for a chance, having done well in domestic cricket.
On the other hand, Manav Suthar has been a revelation since making his India debut in the one-off Test against Afghanistan at home. He was adjudged the Player of the Match in his first game for claiming seven scalps. In the second red-ball match of his career, he improved further, dismissing ten rival batters. Overall, he has taken 17 wickets from two Tests.
He is being viewed as the newest player to watch out for in international cricket, and coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill are backing him. Manav was given the ball ahead of Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav in the first innings of the Galle Test, which shows his growing stature in the national squad.