Devdutt Padikkal scored an unbeaten maiden hundred as India posted 288 for 2 on a rain-hit opening day of the first Test against Sri Lanka.
As India celebrate their 80th Independence Day, the visitors are also playing their 600th Test match, becoming only the third team in history to reach the milestone. Indian captain Shubman Gill has won the toss and elected to bat first. They have opted for five bowlers, with two pacers and three left-arm spinners in their XI.
Sri Lanka have handed a Test debut to 25-year-old off-spinner Keshara Nuwantha, who becomes the 172nd player to represent the country in Test cricket. The hosts have also gone with two pacers, two specialist spinners and two all-rounders, with Lahiru Kumara returning to the XI alongside Asitha Fernando.
Galle is hosting the opening Test of the series and has become the first venue in Asia to stage 50 Test matches.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul opened the innings, with the former making a brisk start. However, their opening stand lasted just 11 overs and produced 47 runs before Jaiswal was run out following a mix-up with Rahul, walking back for 32 off 37 balls.
Jaiswal was obstructed by Keshara Nuwantha at the non-striker’s end while attempting a single and lost his footing. Rahul had already reached halfway down the pitch but stopped after seeing Jaiswal fall. Jaiswal then changed his mind and turned back, leaving both batters at the same end. Rahul made his ground first, leaving Jaiswal short. Dickwella collected the throw but checked with Dhananjaya de Silva at slip before removing the bails.
Rahul was then joined by Devdutt Padikkal, fresh from a century in the warm-up game. While Rahul batted with patience, Padikkal looked comfortable from the outset. The pair saw off the morning session as India reached 101 for 1 in 27 overs at lunch.
<< Dickwella, Madushanka return; Nuwantha earn maiden callup >>
Just 12 minutes into the lunch break, rain began to fall. The showers intensified with a storm before easing quickly. The start of the post-lunch session was delayed by 80 minutes, with play resuming at 2.00 PM and the session extended until 3.50 PM.
Padikkal brought up his half-century before Rahul reached his 21st Test fifty after facing 127 balls. Their second-wicket partnership passed 150, with both batters approaching their centuries by tea. However, Rahul began to struggle with fatigue and cramps. Despite receiving treatment, he was clearly in discomfort, particularly with his right hand and fingers. Although he returned to the middle after tea, he soon decided to head back to the dressing room, walking off gingerly.
Padikkal, who came into the squad as Sai Sudharsan’s replacement, capitalized on his opportunity and the strong start he received. He went on to register his maiden Test hundred from 134 balls. Shubman Gill, who replaced Rahul in the middle, mistimed a chip shot and was caught at mid-off for 16, giving Prabath Jayasuriya his first wicket.
<< WATCH – History awaits in Galle as Sri Lanka gear up for the neighbours’ challenge! #SLvIND >>
At 5.00 PM, rain returned suddenly but did not last long. Play resumed after a 20-minute interruption, with Rishabh Pant taking the Lankan spinners on while Padikkal continued to look for runs. The two left-handers shared an unbeaten half-century stand to see out the remaining overs, with India batting for 73 overs on the opening day.
The conditions in Galle proved excellent for batting, with the Sri Lankan bowlers finding little assistance from the surface. However, debutant Nuwantha showed promising signs, beating the outside edge of the left-handers several times with sharp turn.
Brief Scores:
India 288-2 (73) Devdutt Padikkal 131*, KL Rahul 77, Yashasvi Jaiswal 32, Rishabh Pant 27*, Prabath Jayasuriya 1/77
Stumps – Day 1
Result
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | run out (Prabath Jayasuriya) | 32 | 37 | 5 | 0 | 86.49 |
| KL Rahul | c Nishan Fernando b Keshara Nuwantha | 82 | 175 | 10 | 1 | 46.86 |
| Devdutt Padikkal | st Dickwella b Prabath Jayasuriya | 167 | 230 | 15 | 1 | 72.61 |
| Shubman Gill | c Lahiru Igalagamage b Prabath Jayasuriya | 16 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 57.14 |
| Rishabh Pant | c Sonal Dinusha b Keshara Nuwantha | 39 | 62 | 4 | 1 | 62.90 |
| Dhruv Jurel | c Dhananjaya de Silva b Prabath Jayasuriya | 51 | 68 | 4 | 1 | 75.00 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | lbw b Keshara Nuwantha | 13 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 52.00 |
| Manav Suthar | c Lahiru Igalagamage b Prabath Jayasuriya | 24 | 43 | 2 | 0 | 55.81 |
| Mohammed Siraj | c Dhananjaya de Silva b Asitha Fernando | 11 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 73.33 |
| Kuldeep Yadav | not out | 13 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 92.86 |
| Prasidh krishna | c Niroshan Dickwella b Asitha Fernando | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28.57 |
| Extras | 12 (b 4 , lb 3 , nb 4, w 1, pen 0) |
| Total | 462/10 (116.4 Overs, RR: 3.96) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asitha Fernando | 17.4 | 1 | 63 | 2 | 3.62 | |
| Lahiru Kumara | 13 | 1 | 76 | 0 | 5.85 | |
| Keshara Nuwantha | 39 | 1 | 175 | 3 | 4.49 | |
| Prabath Jayasuriya | 39 | 6 | 109 | 4 | 2.79 | |
| Dhananjaya de Silva | 4 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 3.75 | |
| Sonal Dinusha | 4 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 4.25 | |
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nishan Fernando | c Devdutt Padikkal b Mohammed Siraj | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Lahiru Igalagamage | c Yashasvi Jaiswal b Manav Suthar | 27 | 44 | 6 | 0 | 61.36 |
| Dinesh Chandimal | c Rishab Pant b Manav Suthar | 4 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 |
| Kamindu Mendis | c Shubman Gill b Kuldeep Yadav | 14 | 25 | 1 | 1 | 56.00 |
| Dhananjaya de Silva | c KL Rahul b Ravindra Jadeja | 21 | 41 | 4 | 0 | 51.22 |
| Sonal Dinusha | lbw b Ravindra Jadeja | 100 | 168 | 4 | 2 | 59.52 |
| Niroshan Dickwella | c Rishab Pant b Prasidh krishna | 80 | 115 | 7 | 0 | 69.57 |
| Keshara Nuwantha | c Shubman Gill b Ravindra Jadeja | 2 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 11.11 |
| Prabath Jayasuriya | c Dhruv Jurel b Manav Suthar | 10 | 43 | 2 | 0 | 23.26 |
| Lahiru Kumara | st Rishab Pant b Manav Suthar | 10 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 200.00 |
| Asitha Fernando | not out | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Extras | 16 (b 8 , lb 2 , nb 4, w 2, pen 0) |
| Total | 284/10 (79.4 Overs, RR: 3.56) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammed Siraj | 9 | 3 | 29 | 1 | 3.22 | |
| Prasidh krishna | 14 | 0 | 47 | 1 | 3.36 | |
| Manav Suthar | 21.4 | 1 | 76 | 4 | 3.55 | |
| Kuldeep Yadav | 14 | 0 | 65 | 1 | 4.64 | |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 21 | 5 | 57 | 3 | 2.71 | |
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | c Niroshan Dickwella b Asitha Fernando | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| KL Rahul | c Milan Rathnayake b Prabath Jayasuriya | 35 | 47 | 2 | 2 | 74.47 |
| Devdutt Padikkal | lbw b Keshara Nuwantha | 44 | 75 | 6 | 0 | 58.67 |
| Shubman Gill | lbw b Prabath Jayasuriya | 8 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 40.00 |
| Rishab Pant | c Niroshan Dickwella b Lahiru Kumara | 66 | 69 | 8 | 2 | 95.65 |
| Dhruv Jurel | c Niroshan Dickwella b Asitha Fernando | 7 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 46.67 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | c sooriya bandara b Lahiru Kumara | 8 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 42.11 |
| Manav Suthar | c Niroshan Dickwella b Asitha Fernando | 9 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 36.00 |
| Kuldeep Yadav | c Dhananjaya de Silva b Prabath Jayasuriya | 5 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Mohammed Siraj | not out | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Prasidh krishna | c Lahiru Kumara b Asitha Fernando | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28.57 |
| Extras | 7 (b 1 , lb 1 , nb 3, w 2, pen 0) |
| Total | 193/10 (48.5 Overs, RR: 3.95) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asitha Fernando | 8.5 | 0 | 31 | 4 | 3.65 | |
| Keshara Nuwantha | 23 | 3 | 86 | 1 | 3.74 | |
| Prabath Jayasuriya | 11 | 0 | 43 | 3 | 3.91 | |
| Dhananjaya de Silva | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4.00 | |
| Lahiru Kumara | 5 | 0 | 27 | 2 | 5.40 | |
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nishan Madushka | c Prasidh krishna b Mohammed Siraj | 6 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 22.22 |
| Lahiru Igalagamage | c Dhruv Jurel b Manav Suthar | 16 | 58 | 1 | 0 | 27.59 |
| sooriya bandara | lbw b Manav Suthar | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Kamindu Mendis | c KL Rahul b Prasidh krishna | 2 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 16.67 |
| Dhananjaya de Silva | c Manav Suthar b Ravindra Jadeja | 59 | 151 | 7 | 0 | 39.07 |
| Sonal Dinusha | c Dhruv Jurel b Manav Suthar | 84 | 128 | 8 | 1 | 65.62 |
| Niroshan Dickwella | c Rishab Pant b Prasidh krishna | 10 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 58.82 |
| Keshara Nuwantha | b Manav Suthar | 20 | 69 | 2 | 0 | 28.99 |
| Prabath Jayasuriya | b Manav Suthar | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Lahiru Kumara | c Rishab Pant b Manav Suthar | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Asitha Fernando | not out | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Extras | 9 (b 5 , lb 1 , nb 3, w 0, pen 0) |
| Total | 206/10 (77.4 Overs, RR: 2.65) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammed Siraj | 9 | 2 | 15 | 1 | 1.67 | |
| Manav Suthar | 23.4 | 2 | 55 | 6 | 2.35 | |
| Prasidh krishna | 10 | 3 | 16 | 2 | 1.60 | |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 23 | 3 | 71 | 1 | 3.09 | |
| Kuldeep Yadav | 11 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 3.45 | |
| Devdutt Padikkal | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5.00 | |
