Devdutt Padikkal struck a century as India reached 168 for 2 in reply to Sri Lanka XI’s first innings total of 363 for 8 declared, on day two of the three-day warm-up match in Colombo.
Sri Lanka XI’s innings, built around half-centuries from Nishan Fernando (66) and Ravindu Rasantha (71), along with 52 from captain Sonal Dinusha, ended on day one with India’s spinners doing most of the damage.
In reply, India lost Yashasvi Jaiswal for a two-ball duck in the second over, bowled by Vishwa Fernando, before KL Rahul and Padikkal steadied the innings with a 96-run partnership.
Rahul was dismissed for 40 off 67 balls after hitting five fours and a six, but Padikkal continued on to complete his century, riding a reprieve after a dropped caught-and-bowled chance the previous ball.
India trailed by 195 runs with the match still in progress as the tourists looked to build a substantial reply before the warm-up fixture concludes.
The match forms India’s final preparation before the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka begins on August 15, 2026, with captain Shubman Gill continuing to be assessed for a finger injury sustained before the game.
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.
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.
Photo by Storm machine, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
