Devdutt Padikkal secured the No. 3 spot for India's opening Test with an unbeaten 142, while Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel struggled on day two of the warm-up match against Sri Lanka Cricket XI.
Devdutt Padikkal virtually sealed his place at No. 3 in India's playing eleven for the opening Test after hitting a stylish unbeaten 142 on the second day of the warm-up match against Sri Lanka Cricket XI. With first-choice No. 3 batter Sai Sudharsan ruled out of the series due to a big-toe injury, Padikkal took full advantage of a flatter pitch, stroking 18 boundaries in his dominant display.
India reached 357 for eight in 90 overs in their first innings by the end of the day's play. Yashasvi Jaiswal fell for a duck off the second ball of the morning to left-arm pacer Vishwa Fernando (1/42), but KL Rahul (40) and Padikkal steadied the innings with a 96-run partnership for the second wicket. Padikkal reached his century in just 121 balls with a pull off off-spinner Ramesh Mendis before initially retiring out.
Ravindra Jadeja contributed a gritty 63 before retiring out, sharing a 72-run third-wicket stand with Padikkal. On his maiden overseas international assignment, Manav Suthar scored 41 and combined with Jadeja for a 76-run stand. Saransh Jain also added 22 before retiring out, while Padikkal returned to the crease late in the day to hit four additional boundaries.
In contrast, India's wicketkeeping options endured a difficult outing. Rishabh Pant fell for just 2 after mistiming an offensive shot off Mendis (2/77) to long-off, while Dhruv Jurel was dismissed for 1 after edging an off-spinner to short square leg.
Reporting sourced from The Hindu Cricket. Photo courtesy The Hindu Cricket.