Former Indian chairman of selectors and commentator Kris Srikkanth has asserted that the Karnataka batter Devdutt Padikkal has sealed the No.3 position after his 211 runs across both innings of the first Test against Sri Lanka.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth reckoned that it would be tough for Sai Sudharsan to replace Padikkal at this moment. Notably, Sudharsan is currently nursing an injury at the BCCI CoE in Bengaluru.
“Padikkal has sealed the No.3 position. It’ll be hard for Sai Sudharsan to replace him. Padikkal played very fluently and batted well in both innings, which is most important. His domestic form is helping him a lot,” Kris Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
Furthermore, Srikkanth has also showered praise on the young left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, who scalped an excellent 10-wicket match haul to turn the game upside down as India bagged a 165-run win to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
“He (Suthar) gets excellent drift and loop. I really liked that about him even in the couple of matches he played for GT. That flight is the most important thing for a left-arm spinner and where you beat a batter,” he added.
Additionally, Srikkanth has also predicted India to come out on top quite comfortably in the two-match series, securing a 2-0 clean sweep. He went on to add that Sri Lanka couldn’t go past 300 runs even if they win the toss.
“India will win the second Test also easily as Sri Lanka are a poor Test side. Sri Lanka may be good in ODIs, but in Tests, they will surely lose the second match as well. The toss is crucial, but even if Sri Lanka win the toss and bat first, how will they score 350?” he concluded.
