Photo by Storm machine, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
India reached 168 for 2 on the back of a Devdutt Padikkal century in reply to Sri Lanka XI’s first innings total of 363 for 8 declared, on day two of the warm-up match in Colombo.
Sri Lanka XI’s innings featured half-centuries from Nishan Fernando (66) and Ravindu Rasantha (71), along with 52 from captain Sonal Dinusha, before India’s spinners wrapped up the innings on day one.
India’s start to the reply was shaky, with Yashasvi Jaiswal out for a two-ball duck in the second over to Vishwa Fernando, before KL Rahul and Padikkal added 96 runs together.
Rahul made 40 off 67 balls with five fours and a six before falling, while Padikkal went on to his century after being let off on a dropped caught-and-bowled chance the previous delivery.
India trailed by 195 runs as the match progressed, with the tourists looking to post a solid reply.
The three-day fixture is India’s final preparation before the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka begins on August 15, 2026, with Shubman Gill’s finger injury still being assessed.
Jaiswal’s dismissal for a two-ball duck, bowled by Vishwa Fernando in the second over, gave Sri Lanka XI an early breakthrough before Rahul and Padikkal steadied India’s reply.
The three-day warm-up fixture at the Nondescripts Cricket Club Ground in Colombo is India’s final assignment before the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka begins on August 15, 2026.
Vice-captain KL Rahul has continued to lead the side through the warm-up fixture, with head coach Gautam Gambhir overseeing preparations for a squad featuring several relatively new faces in the Test set-up.
Sri Lanka XI had declared their first innings at 363 for 8 on day one, with Nishan Fernando making 66, Ravindu Rasantha 71, captain Sonal Dinusha 52 and Ramesh Mendis 32.
Kuldeep Yadav finished with figures of 2 for 76 for India, while Ravindra Jadeja and Manav Suthar also picked up wickets as India’s spinners shared the workload against Sri Lanka XI’s middle order.
Photo by Storm machine, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
