Despite losing almost four hours to frustrating rain delays, India maintained their iron grip on the opening Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. Powered by an elegant 167 from Devdutt Padikkal and rapid contributions from the middle order, the visitors posted a commanding 460-9 by the close of Day 2. While Sri Lankan spinners Prabath Jayasuriya and Keshara Nuwantha engineered a late fightback to keep the hosts alive, India’s aggressive scoring rate of nearly four runs an over ensured they finished the truncated day in a position of immense strength.
India vs Sri Lanka 1st Test Day 2:
Play on Day 2 was scheduled to begin 15 minutes early to make up for lost time on Saturday, where only 73 overs were bowled. Instead, persistent showers forced the players to remain confined to the dressing rooms. The covers stayed firmly on the pitch for nearly four hours, completely washing out the first session before play could finally get underway.
Resuming his magnificent knock, Padikkal converted his maiden Test hundred into a marathon 167, beautifully laced with 15 boundaries and a six. His classy innings finally ended when he danced down the track to Jayasuriya, only to be beaten in flight and stumped. Meanwhile, KL Rahul, who had retired hurt on 77 on Day 1 due to severe cramps, returned to the crease. However, a well-deserved century eluded him as he fell for 82, flicking a delivery from Nuwantha straight to Nishan Fernando at forward short leg.
The Sri Lankan spin duo of Jayasuriya and debutant Nuwantha toiled hard to peg India back. Nuwantha (3-175) claimed his first Test victim when Rishabh Pant (39) attempted to rush the scoring, charging down the pitch and skying the ball to a fielder at deep mid-wicket. The spinners also accounted for Ravindra Jadeja, who fell cheaply for 13, while Jayasuriya finished the long day with impressive figures of 4-109.
Despite the cluster of wickets, Dhruv Jurel kept the momentum going, racing to a breezy 51. Sri Lankan captain Dhananjaya de Silva, who had earlier dropped Jurel on 29, redeemed himself with a sensational catch to finally dismiss the aggressive batter. However, Sri Lanka could not entirely polish off the tail. Kuldeep Yadav (12 not out) and Prasidh Krishna (1 not out) safely batted through the final overs, safely guiding India to stumps at 460-9.
