GALLE, Sri Lanka — Devdutt Padikkal delivered an outstanding performance with a career-high score of 167, helping India take a strong lead against Sri Lanka in the first Test on Sunday. By the end of the second day, India had posted a score of 447-8 after batting for 113 overs in their first innings.
Padikkal’s impressive knock marked his first Test century, while other notable contributions came from Lokesh Rahul, who scored 82, and Dhruv Jurel, who added 51 runs to the total.
On the bowling side for Sri Lanka, left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya was the standout, claiming 4 wickets for 109 runs, while debutant off-spinner Keshara Nuwantha took 3 wickets for 175 runs.
The start of the day was delayed due to rain, which wiped out the entire morning session and much of the second. Fortunately, the weather cleared up in the afternoon, allowing for just over three hours of play. On the first day, India had already established a solid base with a score of 288-2 after winning the toss.
When play resumed following the rain delay, Rishabh Pant (39) looked to accelerate the innings but was caught out, marking Nuwantha’s first Test wicket. This brought Rahul back to the crease after he had left the field on day one due to cramps. Meanwhile, Padikkal reached the milestone of 150 runs from 215 balls.
Rahul, who had scored 77 runs on day one, couldn’t extend his innings and was dismissed shortly after his return, caught at short leg by Nuwantha. Nuwantha further contributed to India’s struggles by trapping Ravindra Jadeja lbw for just 13 runs. Jayasuriya then got the prized wicket of Padikkal, who was stumped, as India slipped to 377-7, losing four wickets for just 70 runs since the resumption of play.
However, Jurel and Manav Suthar steadied the innings, putting together a significant partnership of 55 runs off 66 balls, helping India cross the 400-run mark in the final session. Jayasuriya later claimed Jurel’s wicket after he scored 50 runs off 66 balls.
