Devdutt Padikkal had every reason to feel like a satisfied man after Day 4 of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. The left-hander seized his opportunity at No. 3 in Sai Sudharsan’s absence, scoring 221 runs across the match through two contrasting knocks – a fluent 167 in the first innings and a patient 44 in the second.

The performances should ideally give Padikkal some assurance that he has done enough to merit an extended run at No. 3 rather than constantly being viewed as competing with Sudharsan for the spot. Yet, the 25-year-old revealed that there have been no conversations about his place in the XI beyond this series.

“Not really. I don’t think those kinds of conversations take place. It’s important that whenever you get that opportunity, you just take it. I don’t really go looking for those conversations. For me, it’s important that whenever I get that chance, I perform. I don’t really put too much emphasis on getting a run of games or things like that because in modern-day cricket, you cannot really expect those kinds of things,” Padikkal told reporters on Tuesday.

“It’s a highly result-driven business. I think whenever you go out there, you’re expected to perform, and if you’re not doing that, you’re always on the line in terms of your performance or your job or whatever it may be. I think for me, whenever I go out there, I try to score runs, and if I’m doing that, I’m sure I’ll play more games,” he added.

Padikkal has made the No. 3 position his own for now, but he insists there is little value in looking too far ahead. His focus, he said, is on reacting to the situation in front of him rather than overthinking his role.

“Honestly, mindsets don’t change that much. Obviously, the situation of the game changes a little bit when you go in at No. 3. You understand what’s really happening on the wicket, especially if there has been an opening partnership; you always know what you’re going into. So I try to keep things as simple as possible, try not to really overthink it and try to make plans too much,” he said.

“At the end of the day, I have to go out there and react to what’s coming at me.”

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Padikkal’s ability to switch between formats has been particularly relevant after he was part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru side that won the IPL in May. The left-hander acknowledged that his batting setup changes considerably between white-ball and red-ball cricket, although the objective remains the same: being in the best possible position to deal with what comes his way.

“My technique changes quite a bit, but at the same time, it’s about making sure that I’m in a position to tackle whatever is coming towards me. In white-ball cricket, I have a particular setup that helps me play a lot more shots and free my arms up a little bit. But I think in red-ball, it’s important that I tighten that side of my game. So that’s pretty much the only technical change I’ve made, just my hands being a little closer in red-ball. But at the same time, mentally, it’s important that I make that shift.”

The transition between formats has not always been straightforward, but Padikkal believes he has grown better at managing it over the past couple of years.

“I think over the last couple of years, I’ve become better at it. I think it’s not an easy thing to do when you keep shifting from white-ball to red-ball, but I think I’ve gotten better at it, and hopefully I can keep improving on it,” he said.

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Sudharsan was initially included in India’s squad for the two-Test series but could not recover from injury in time to travel to Sri Lanka. Padikkal, who has now made the most of the opening, was sympathetic towards his fellow left-hander but stressed that opportunities in international cricket have to be seized.

“Cricket has its injuries and things like that happen. Sai (Sudharsan) has been doing well for us over the last few games, and he’s a very talented player as well. You know, at the end of the day, whoever gets that opportunity, it’s important that we take that opportunity and try and help the team win. And as long as we’re doing that, I think everyone’s happy,” he said.