Colombo: Devdutt Padikkal’s magnificent 117 guided India to a solid 300 for 5 at stumps on the opening day of the second and final Test of the two-match series on Sunday, August 23, at the Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground in Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo.
The second and final Test match began with the toss, with India winning it and electing to bat first. Devdutt Padikkal continued his excellent performance and produced a sensational second Test century, scoring 117 off 193 balls. Playing only his fourth Test, he stood firm as India lost wickets at regular intervals and found great support from Shubman Gill, who scored 50 off 108 balls, and Ravindra Jadeja, who made 43 off 83 balls. Although Padikkal was dropped twice, on 0 and 1, those two early lifelines proved extremely costly for Sri Lanka. Rishabh Pant was also forced to retire hurt after suffering a painful blow to his left wrist. Asitha Fernando led Sri Lanka’s bowling attack with an impressive three-wicket haul, while Dhruv Jurel remained unbeaten on 7 and debutant Saransh Jain was unbeaten on 4 as India ended the first day of the second Test on a solid 300 for 5.
The second Test began with India winning the toss and electing to bat first. India made one change to their playing XI for the second Test, with Kuldeep Yadav missing out after failing to fully recover from a viral infection, while Saransh Jain was handed his Test debut. The 33-year-old all-rounder made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in the second match of the series. His debut also made Jain the first Indian player to make his international debut after turning 33 since Robin Singh in 1998. Sri Lanka also made one change to their playing XI, with debutant Kamil Mishara replacing opening batter Nishan Madushka. The Indian openers, Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul, tried to provide India with a good start. KL Rahul played a controlled and composed innings, hitting Jayasuriya for a superb six straight over the bowler’s head, but he lost his wicket early after scoring 18 off 33 balls. He fell to Lahiru Kumara while attempting a square cut, which produced an edge that was comfortably taken by wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella. Devdutt Padikkal came in at No. 3 at the crease. Jaiswal looked in impressive touch with his fine cover drives and appeared set for a big score, but his fluent innings came to an end when Asitha Fernando produced a superb delivery. Jaiswal was caught on the crease as he tried to punch the ball through the covers, but got a thick inside edge that crashed into the stumps behind him. He narrowly missed his half-century, scoring 45 off 53 balls, as India slipped to 66 for 2. Captain Shubman Gill then joined Devdutt Padikkal, and India went into lunch at 88 for 2 after 25 overs. Devdutt Padikkal found two early lifelines after being dropped on 0 and 1 before accelerating his innings, with those missed chances later proving extremely expensive for Sri Lanka. Padikkal and Gill recovered the innings from the early setbacks, displaying excellent temperament and control. They adapted well against both spin and pace, handled the short ball effectively, played elegant drives and rotated the strike intelligently by running well between the wickets. The pair crucially stitched together a 120-run partnership off 204 balls for the third wicket. This was only the third time India’s No. 3 and No. 4 batters had formed a hundred-run partnership since 2019. The previous instances featured the pairs of Virat Kohli and Sarfaraz Khan, who put together 136 against New Zealand in 2024, and Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, who shared 111 against South Africa in 2022. Both batters reached their half-centuries. Test captain Shubman Gill reached 50 off 108 balls, including four boundaries. With this innings, Shubman Gill added another significant milestone to his growing Test career, becoming the fourth-youngest Indian to reach 3,000 runs in the longest format. The India captain brought up his half-century on the opening day. Gill needed just seven runs coming into the match and completed his 50 in the 23rd over when an outside edge off Keshara Nuwantha raced to the boundary. At 26 years and 349 days, Gill moved ahead of former India captain Kapil Dev, who was 26 years and 356 days old when he reached 3,000 Test runs. Gill now joins an elite list led by Sachin Tendulkar, who reached the mark at just 23 years and 228 days. Virender Sehwag achieved the feat at 26 years and 157 days, while Dilip Vengsarkar did so at 26 years and 263 days. Gill had fallen seven runs short of the 3,000-run milestone in the first Test at Galle but needed little time to complete it in Colombo. However, his innings came to an end soon after reaching his half-century when he edged Fernando to Dickwella. After Gill’s dismissal, Rishabh Pant came in to join Padikkal, but India suffered a major blow as Pant was forced to retire hurt after scoring 3. He was struck on his left wrist by a sharp Lahiru Kumara bouncer while attempting to play the short delivery. Ravindra Jadeja then came in and joined Devdutt Padikkal at the crease. Devdutt Padikkal once again showcased his elegant batting, standing tall as wickets fell regularly on a challenging pitch. He impressively revived the innings and led the batting charge with tremendous patience and composure. He showcased elegant strokeplay, playing impressive and powerful pulls and drives while handling both spin and pace with excellent footwork. He brought up his half-century in 90 balls, driving spinner Prabath Jayasuriya through the off side for four. Later, he successfully brought up his remarkable second consecutive Test century off 168 balls. The last time an Indian No. 3 scored hundreds in back-to-back Tests was in the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, when Cheteshwar Pujara followed up his 106 at the MCG with a 193 at the SCG. Years later, Devdutt Padikkal repeated the feat in Galle and Colombo. With Jadeja, Padikkal stitched together another crucial 74-run partnership in the final session. However, off-spinner Keshara Nuwantha came back into the attack and provided the much-needed breakthrough for Sri Lanka, bringing an end to Padikkal’s sensational innings. He bowled Padikkal, beating his back-foot defence and crashing into the off stump. Padikkal was dismissed after scoring an outstanding 117 off 193 balls, including 10 boundaries. Dhruv Jurel then joined Jadeja, who was battling severe cramps in his left-arm. Despite the discomfort, Jadeja showed great resilience and continued to fight, scoring 43 before Asitha Fernando dismissed him with a perfectly timed inswinger from around the wicket. With this innings, Ravindra Jadeja also entered the record books, becoming the first Indian cricketer to feature in 50 World Test Championship matches, further adding to his remarkable career. Debutant Saransh Jain then came in and joined Jurel. A well-timed late cut to the backward-point boundary by Jain brought up the 300-run mark for India in the final over of the day before stumps. Jurel and Jain ended the day unbeaten, with Jurel on 7 off 21 balls and Jain on 4 off 5 balls, as India reached a solid 300 for 5 in 85 overs. Asitha Fernando led Sri Lanka’s bowling attack with an impressive three-wicket haul, while Lahiru Kumara and Prabath Jayasuriya took one wicket each.
India will look to build on their strong start and push towards a commanding first-innings total on Day 2, while Sri Lanka will look to fight back and try to bowl India out early.
