Devdutt Padikkal’s first ton in international cricket topped off a dominant opening day for India in the first Test in Galle. Padikkal remained unbeaten on 131 and shared a huge stand alongside KL Rahul, who retired hurt on 77, to give India the early lead in the opening Test of the series. On a day of rain, India made 288/2 in 73 overs.
India did not hesitate to bat first after winning the toss as they opted for a bowling combination of two pacers and three spinners with Prasidh Krishna retaining his place ahead of Gurnor Brar. The home team made his debut for Keshara Nuwantha while also welcoming Niroshan Dickwella back to their starting XI after more than three years.
Yashasvi Jaiswal found boundaries in the opener of the Test match while KL Rahul delivered ten deliveries in his first over which was also his maiden boundary. Lahiru Kumara proved costly with the new ball as Jaiswal hit him for three boundaries before Rahul added one forcing a bowling change.
Against the run of play, Jaiswal found himself unlucky to be run out when he collided with the fielder at the non-striker’s end. This caused an uproar as both batsmen were left stranded at the same end resulting in Jaiswal returning to the pavilion. But what followed was a period of Indian dominance. Padikkal, who was looking to make a mark in Sai Sudharsen’s absence, grabbed the opportunity with both hands. The left-hander smashed his first delivery for a boundary before coming down the track against Prabhat Jayasuriya to hit it to long-on for a six that forced the pacer to move close to the boundary early.
Despite batting in a composed and alert manner, Rahul broke free from the left-arm shot to smash a six, just as Padikkal had done. It took little time for the No. 3 to overtake his state teammate as India continued to dominate. However, play did not resume immediately after the lunch break due to rain. With over an hour lost, play finally began in the second session at 2pm local time. While the break did not change Sri Lanka’s fortunes, both Rahul and Padikkal started cautiously. Rahul finally got the first boundary after resuming with a cut from cover point and Padikkal, who crossed his fifty, hit a single through Jayasuriya’s cover to regain his rhythm.
The bowling changes did not bear fruit for the hosts as India continued to move along with Rahul, who is now over 50. The Karnataka duo made it through the session unhurt, but Rahul showed signs of convulsion that eventually forced him off the field when he tried to return to the field after the tea break. But that did not deter Padikkal, who entered the 1990s with back-to-back boundaries before reaching triple figures for the first time in international cricket. Sri Lanka were set to see another Indian batsman occupy the crease for an extended period of time when Shubman Gill appeared to make great contact with two cover drives. However, Jayasuriya’s arduous effort finally led to a wicket as the Indian skipper mistimed the shot while trying to bowl the ball wide, with the ball turning enough after the throw.
Another frustrating spell of rain forced the players off the field for 20 minutes but India continued to bat in a positive manner once play resumed. Rishabh Pant, restrained at first, broke free with an errant boundary off Nuwantha before Padikkal added to his boundary tally several times against the same fielder in his follow-up. In typical fashion, Pant then chased Jayasuriya down for a six and a four as Sri Lanka continued to leak runs even at the end of the day’s play, with the duo adding fifty-plus runs in their partnership before stumps.
Summary scores: India 288/2 (Divdutt Padikkal 131*, KL Rahul 77; Prapath Jayasuriya 1-77) vs Sri Lanka
