India’s spin trio Ravindra Jadeja, Manav Suthar and Kuldeep Yadav claimed two wickets each as Sri Lanka Cricket XI reached 363/8 on Day 1 of their three-day warm-up match ahead of India’s opening Test in Galle.
India’s spin trio of Ravindra Jadeja, Manav Suthar and Kuldeep Yadav impressed with the ball as Sri Lanka Cricket XI reached 363/8 at the end of Day 1 of their three-day warm-up fixture at the Nondescripts Cricket Club ground on Friday.
With KL Rahul taking charge in the absence of regular captain Shubman Gill, who is recovering from a right ring finger injury, India used the practice game to give their bowling unit valuable match preparation ahead of the opening Test against Sri Lanka. The spinners responded well as the pitch gradually began offering turn, although the hosts enjoyed a strong start on a surface that provided limited assistance to the fast bowlers.
Sri Lanka Cricket XI won the toss and elected to bat, with openers Nishan Madushka and Ravindu Rasantha immediately putting pressure on the Indian attack. The pair produced a century partnership during the morning session, taking advantage of the flat conditions and the lack of significant lateral movement.
Madushka was particularly aggressive against the Indian pacers, finding the boundary regularly as he raced to 66. However, his promising innings ended through a miscommunication that resulted in a tame run-out. Rasantha continued to anchor the innings and remained a major threat until India turned increasingly to spin after lunch.
Ravindra Jadeja, returning to competitive action for the first time since IPL 2026, provided India with the breakthrough after lunch. He bowled Pasindu Sooriyabandara with a delivery that skidded through quickly and crashed into the stumps.
Manav Suthar then demonstrated his ability to extract flight and turn from the surface. He dismissed Rasantha after encouraging the batter to charge down the pitch, breaking another important partnership. Suthar eventually finished the day with two wickets, while Jadeja also claimed a second scalp.
Tall pacer Gurnoor Brar added another wicket to India’s tally with an impressive spell featuring pace and bounce. He removed Pavan Rathnanayake shortly before the tea interval. Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, however, were unable to find breakthroughs despite operating on a pitch with a faint green tinge.
India gained greater control during the final session as the surface began assisting the spinners more substantially. Kuldeep Yadav made an immediate impact, dismissing Ahan Wickramasinghe after the batter top-edged an ambitious sweep towards Brar in the deep.
Kuldeep struck again soon after, trapping Anjala Bandara lbw and further exposing Sri Lanka’s middle order. His two wickets came at a cost of 76 runs, while Jadeja finished with 2/64 and Suthar returned figures of 2/48.
Sri Lanka Cricket XI captain Sonal Dinusha resisted India’s growing pressure with an attacking half-century. His fluent 52 helped the hosts move beyond the 300-run mark and ensured they maintained a competitive total.
Jadeja returned to remove Ramesh Mendis lbw with a straight delivery, while Suthar ended Dinusha’s innings with a sharp arm ball. Off-spinner Saransh Jain also bowled a lengthy spell but remained without a wicket.
At stumps, Sri Lanka Cricket XI had posted 363/8 in 90 overs, led by Rasantha’s 71 and Madushka’s 66. For India, Jadeja, Suthar and Kuldeep claimed two wickets apiece, while Brar took one.
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The bowling workload provided India’s attack with useful preparation ahead of the first Test, which is scheduled to begin in Galle on August 15. However, conceding more than 360 runs on the opening day will give the Indian team areas to assess before the Test series begins.
Brief Scores: Sri Lanka Cricket XI 363/8 in 90 overs (Ravindu Rasantha 71, Nishan Madushka 66; Manav Suthar 2/48, Ravindra Jadeja 2/64, Kuldeep Yadav 2/76) vs India.
