The Indian bowlers received a lot of tough competition on the first day of their three-day warm-up against Sri Lanka Cricket XI in Colombo. India were bowled out for 363 runs on the eighth wicket at the end of play when after being asked to bat first, they were bowled out.
The hosts exploited the slow and batting-friendly surface and made some useful pairings. India had a change of seven bowlers throughout the day, with Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Manav Suthar claiming two wickets each.
India also had to cope with the absence of its captain, Shubman Gill, who got hurt in his right ring finger during a training session.
Sri Lanka XI Make Strong Start
From the start Sri Lanka Cricket XI put India’s bowlers under pressure, Sri Lanka’s first two openers, Nishan Madushka and Ravindu Rasantha, played a century partnership.
Both batters scored a half-century and then it was India’s turn to break the stand. After the first two batsmen had put up 110 runs, Madushka was out for a run-up.
Rasantha stayed on and extended the innings with Pasindu Sooriyabandara. Their partnership scored another 61 runs and in the lunch interval, the SLC XI had a 138/1 lead.
Jadeja provided India’s first wicket after lunch when he bowled Sooriyabandara for 35. Rasantha then moved to 71 level, but Suthar got the better of him by sending it in the air before catching it in the deep.
India Take Wickets But Hosts Keep Scoring
Next Pavan Rathnayake came with some aggression and scored 39 and dislodged Gurnoor Brar and Saransh Jain.
Brar eventually got rid of him with another short delivery, just before tea, to leave India with another chance.
In the following session, Kuldeep Yadav had his best game of the day. The wicket spinner bowled off Ahan Wickramasinghe for 31, and caught Anjala Bandara on the inside of the stumps to leave the SLC XI at 284/6.
But India couldn’t put an end to the innings in time.
Sonal Dinusha and Ramesh Mendis played a 63-run seventh wicket stand. Jadeja then took over and fired Mendis at slip to put an end to the partnership.
Soon after Dinusha completed a half century, he was followed by Suthar’s second wicket of the innings, Dinusha.
Keshara Nuwantha and Dilum Sudeera then held out in the remaining 2.2 overs to leave the Sri Lanka Cricket XI at 363/8 at stumps.
Brief Scores
Sri Lanka Cricket XI: 363/8
- Ravindu Rasantha – 71
- Nishan Madushka – 66
- Sonal Dinusha – 52
- Manav Suthar – 2/33
- Ravindra Jadeja – 2/64
- Kuldeep Yadav – 2/76
India will try to use the two-day warm-up match before the two-match bilateral series with Sri Lanka to their best advantage.
