Galle: Vice-captain K.L. Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal hit unbeaten half-centuries as India dominated Sri Lanka by reaching 197/1 in 53 overs at tea in a rain-delayed afternoon session on the opening day of the first Test at the Galle International Stadium on Saturday.
Following an extended lunch break due to rain, which led to a loss of 80 minutes of play, Padikkal and Rahul brought out dazzling shots to stitch an unbroken 150-run stand for the second wicket in a wicketless session.
Rahul remained unbeaten on 77 off 162 balls, with Padikkal, in his first outing in the format since November 2024, hitting 84 not out off 122 balls at tea break. Though Sri Lankan spinners got the odd ball to spin, the pitch is still pretty good to bat on, especially with the hosts’ bowlers still struggling with consistency in lines and lengths.
Once the rain went away, left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya and fast bowler Asitha Fernando resumed the proceedings. Padikkal, who remained unbeaten on 35 at lunch break, picked up the scoring rate comfortably after the restart and brought up his second Test half-century off 81 balls in the 37th over with a cut to deep backward point.
He continued to manipulate the field effectively, and used the depth of his crease to punch Prabath Jayasuriya through extra cover for four, before driving Sonal Dinusha through the off-side for another boundary. Rahul adopted a more patient approach, though he capitalised on loose deliveries. In the 43rd over, Rahul pushed off-spinner Keshara Nuwantha to long-on for a single to get his 21st Test half-century.
With Padikkal and Rahul being steady, Sri Lanka struggled to generate clear-cut opportunities on a slowing surface. Their best chance came in the 47th over when Padikkal edged Nuwantha, but the ball dropped just short of the slip fielder’s diving reach.
Rahul battled fatigue and forearm cramps late in the session, and even received treatment from the physio after the 51st over. He recovered to drill Nuwantha down the ground for four in the final over before tea, which stretched the second-wicket stand to 150 runs — 96 of which came in the second session.
Brief scores:
India 197/1 in 53 overs (Devdutt Padikkal 84 not out, KL Rahul 77 not out) against Sri Lanka
(IANS)
