India batter Yashasvi Jaiswal joined an exclusive Test cricket club during the 1st Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. As he walked out after captain Shubman Gill opted to bat, Jaiswal made his 30th appearance for India in the longest format.
Remarkably, all 30 of his Test matches have come at different venues, putting him alongside former Indian greats Sanjay Manjrekar and Sachin Tendulkar in achieving this unique milestone. Manjrekar holds the record for playing the most consecutive Tests at different venues, with 33. Tendulkar, on the other hand, played his first 32 Tests at different venues.
Jaiswal’s knock ended in disappointment as he was dismissed for 32. On the final delivery of the 11th over, Yashasvi Jaiswal was run out following a mix-up with KL Rahul.
Jaiswal slipped while attempting a single after being obstructed by fielder Keshara Nuwantha. Both batters ended up at the same end, with Rahul making his ground first.
It was the third time Jaiswal had been run out in Test cricket. He was previously dismissed in this manner against Australia at the MCG in 2024 and against the West Indies in Delhi last year, scoring 82 and 175 respectively in those innings.
Meanwhile, a sensational maiden Test ton from Devdutt Padikkal and a composed 77 from KL Rahul were the highlights as India made Sri Lanka toil and run around the field for a leather hunt, ending the day one of the first Tests against Sri Lanka, just a few short of the 300-run mark.
India were 288/2, with Padikkal (131*) and Rishabh Pant (27*) unbeaten.
In the final session, India started at 197/1, with Padikkal unbeaten at 84*, but KL Rahul retired hurt due to cramps at 77. Skipper Shubman Gill joined Padikkal out in the middle. India reached the 200-run mark in 53.4 overs.
Padikkal made merry against Lahiru Kumara, getting two successive boundaries against him and eventually racing to an extremely special Independence Day century in 134 balls, with nine fours and a six.
The last Indian to get a Test hundred from number three was Gill against Bangladesh in Chennai in September 2024. In 19 Tests between that game and the ongoing one, India used seven different batters at one-down, and they collectively averaged 27.28 with five 50-plus scores in 35 innings.