After being dropped twice earlier in his innings, Devdutt Padikkal once again struck a sensational Test hundred on the opening day, this time in the second Test against Sri Lanka at the SSC.
Indian captain Shubman Gill once again won the crucial toss and elected to bat first. India made one change, handing a Test debut to 33-year-old off-spinner Saransh Jain, with Kuldeep Yadav left out.
- The future of Sri Lankan cricket on show
- Hashan Tillakaratne Appointed Batting Coach of the Senior Men’s Program
- Sri Lanka make four changes to squad for second Test against India
Sri Lanka also handed a Test debut to 25-year-old Kamil Mishara, who came in for Nishan Madushka at the top of the order. Pasindu Sooriyabandara, who made his debut in Galle after coming in as a concussion substitute, also retained his place.
The opening stand between Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul lasted 37 runs before Lahiru Kumara dismissed the right-hander. Rahul chased a short and wide delivery outside off and managed only an outside edge through to the keeper. Kumara almost had Devdutt Padikkal in the same over, but Sonal Dinusha put down a tough chance at backward point. Soon after, Padikkal was given another reprieve when Dhananjaya de Silva dropped him off Keshara Nuwantha. A thick outside edge off a cut shot flew towards slip, but the chance went down.
After failing cheaply in both innings of the first Test, Jaiswal managed to get a start this time. He took on Asitha Fernando, striking three fours in one over, before Fernando had the last laugh in the same over. Jaiswal got an inside edge onto his stumps, prompting a send-off from the Sri Lankan pacer.
What followed was a heated moment as Jaiswal and Fernando exchanged words, coming face-to-face and almost making body contact before the Sri Lankan captain intervened and calmed things down.
With India two down for 66, Padikkal was joined by Gill in the middle. The duo batted brilliantly, particularly after lunch. With very little assistance on offer, Sri Lanka’s spinners bowled a negative line outside leg stump, while the two seamers employed a short-ball tactic. However, neither approach created much pressure on the Indian batters. The third-wicket partnership went past 100, with both batters reaching their fifties. A loose shot from Gill outside off gave Fernando another breakthrough, with Niroshan Dickwella completing a juggling catch to end the 120-run stand. Rishabh Pant, who came in at No. 5, walked off the field soon after the tea break after taking a blow to his wrist from a short delivery by Kumara.
Ravindra Jadeja then joined Padikkal in the middle and shared a 74-run partnership with him. After being dropped on 0 and 1, Padikkal once again capitalised on his opportunities and went on to register his second Test hundred, having also scored a century on the opening day of the Galle Test. He was eventually dismissed by Nuwantha for 117 after facing 193 deliveries, including 12 fours.
Jadeja batted patiently despite battling cramps and pain in his hands after copping a blow to his forearm early in the innings off a delivery from Kumara. He fell right at the stroke of stumps on Day 1, leaving a delivery from round the wicket that went on to clatter into the top of off stump.
India reached 300 by the end of the day, while Asitha Fernando stood out for the hosts on a hard-fought opening day at the SSC, finishing with three wickets.
Brief Scores:
India 300/5 (85) Devdutt Padikkal 117, Shubman Gill 50, Yashasvi Jaiswal 45, Ravindra Jadeja 43, Asitha Fernando 3/46, Lahiru Kumara 1/38, Keshara Nuwantha 1/93
Stumps – Day 1.
Stumps
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | b Asitha Fernando | 45 | 53 | 9 | 0 | 84.91 |
| KL Rahul | c Niroshan Dickwella b Lahiru Kumara | 18 | 33 | 2 | 1 | 54.55 |
| Devdutt Padikkal | b Keshara Nuwantha | 117 | 193 | 12 | 0 | 60.62 |
| Shubman Gill | c Niroshan Dickwella b Asitha Fernando | 50 | 108 | 6 | 0 | 46.30 |
| Rishab Pant | not out | 3 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 20.00 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | b Asitha Fernando | 43 | 83 | 4 | 0 | 51.81 |
| Dhruv Jurel | not out | 7 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | not out | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 80.00 |
| Extras | 13 (b 4 , lb 3 , nb 1, w 5, pen 0) |
| Total | 300/5 (85 Overs, RR: 3.53) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asitha Fernando | 16 | 5 | 46 | 3 | 2.88 | |
| Lahiru Kumara | 13 | 4 | 38 | 1 | 2.92 | |
| Prabath Jayasuriya | 27 | 4 | 90 | 0 | 3.33 | |
| Keshara Nuwantha | 22 | 0 | 93 | 1 | 4.23 | |
| Sonal Dinusha | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2.00 | |
| Dhananjaya de Silva | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 4.00 | |
| Kamil Mishara | 4 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 4.00 | |
