Indian batter Devdutt Padikkal said he would have been more happy if they had managed to win the second Test match against Sri Lanka at Colombo on Thursday. The game ended in a draw after Sri Lankan batters showed all the resistance on the final day.

India was in a commanding position at the end of the fourth day’s play as Sri Lanka was leading by 16 runs and had only four wickets in hand. However, Sonal Dinusha, Lahiru Kumara and Keshara Nuwantha kept the visitors at bay.

Meanwhile, in the first innings of the second Test match, Padikkal scored a majestic knock of 117 runs as he once again batted at the top of his game. The southpaw also had the rub of the green on his side as he was dropped on 0 and 1 by Sonal Dinusha and Dhananjaya de Silva.

However, the left-hander was able to make the most of his second chances and delivered for the team. Padikkal scored a total of 328 runs in three innings of the series at an average of 109.33 and was awarded Player of the Series.

“Would have been better, if we won this game. It was quite similar to be honest, it was slow here as well. Takes a lot of clarity, you need to have clear plans. There are plans in the dressing room, and everyone came up with their own plans. You always want to play and represent your country,” said Padikkal after the match in the post-match presentation.

“You have to make sure you have to be ready for the opportunity. That’s a part of the game, you got to forget that as fast as possible. You got to move on to the next ball, that’s what I tried to do. I am happy to score runs, doesn’t matter. It’s important that the team wins. A lot of work to do, it’s a young side, everyone is really hungry. I am sure we will continue to improve,” he added.

After his consistent performances, Padikkal is expected to get a longer run at number three spot.