India, Aug. 24 -- Some may find it harsh but Devdutt Padikkal has closed the door on Sai Sudharsan, for now at least. His back-to-back centuries in Sri Lanka are no ordinary feats, and now he has the right-of-way at No.3. Sudharsan, who got injured before the Tests and was replaced by Sarfaraz Khan, can come back into the squad for the next assignment but there is no way he can bat at No.3 straight away. He will have to wait.

It's not so much the big runs that Padikkal has scored that have strengthened his case; it's the manner in which he has got those runs. His 167 in the first Test at Galle was a huge effort. Second day onwards, the pitch had become venomous with spinners being the beneficiaries. He added 36 to his overnight score of ...