Team India got their Sri Lanka tour off to a perfect start with a thrilling 6-wicket win over Sri Lanka Cricket XI in a 3-day warm-up at the Nondescripts Cricket Club Ground in Colombo.
It was a proper practice game and India got exactly what they needed before the 2-match Test series.
Sri Lanka XI batted first and put up 363/8 declared on day 1. That gave India’s bowlers a solid workout. India replied with 357/6 declared, just 6 runs short. The big highlight from that innings was Devdutt Padikkal. He stayed unbeaten on 142 and looked rock solid. Great signs for him ahead of the Tests.
In the second innings, Sri Lanka XI declared again at 200/6, leaving India 207 to win. This was the chance for India’s top order to get some time in the middle. Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Shubman Gill grabbed it with both hands. They put on 105 for the opening stand and set the chase up beautifully.
India needed 16 off the last over. And Mohammed Siraj walked in and smacked 3 sixes in a row to finish the game. India ended on 214/4 and won with a ball to spare. From a fast bowler!
Padikkal’s patient 142, the strong start from Jaiswal and Gill, and then Siraj’s madness at the end were the big takeaways. Bowlers also got good overs under their belt, and the batters got time in Sri Lankan conditions.Warm-ups don’t go on the record books, but this one will give India a lot of confidence. Form players, test combinations, and win a close game — that’s about as good as it gets before a Test series.With this momentum, India will now head into the 2-Test series vs Sri Lanka feeling good.Siraj’s 3 sixes in the final over made sure India went into the series on a high. What an ending.
Players
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Devdutt Padikkal, KL Rahul (c), Rishabh Pant(wk),Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Vipraj Nigam
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