Sri Lanka Cricket XI vs India Warm-up Match Highlight: The three-day warm-up match between India and Sri Lanka Cricket XI played at the Nondescripts Cricket Club Ground in Colombo ended in a thrilling fashion. Sri Lanka declared their innings at 363/8, in response to which India declared their innings at 357/6. Sri Lanka then scored 200/6 in the second innings, setting India a target of 207 runs to win.
Sri Lanka batted brilliantly in the first innings. Nishan Madushka shared a 110-run partnership for the first wicket with Ravindra Rasanayake. Madushka scored 66 runs with the help of 12 fours. Rasanayake then added 61 runs for the second wicket with Pathum Nissanka. Rasanayake scored 71 runs, while captain Solan Dinusha contributed 52 runs. Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and Manav Suthar took two wickets each for India, while Gurnur Brar took one wicket.
Devdutt Padikkal scored a century.
In response, the Indian batsmen also performed strongly. India declared their first innings at 357/6. Devdutt Padikkal shared a 96-run partnership for the second wicket with captain KL Rahul. Padikkal played a brilliant innings of 142 runs, studded with 18 fours, and remained unbeaten. KL Rahul also scored 40 runs. Manav Suthar also contributed 41 runs. Ramesh Mendis and Asitha Fernando took two wickets each for Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka scored 200/6 in the second innings, setting India a target of 207 runs. The team lost three wickets by 51 runs, but Nishan Madushka, along with Pawan Ratnayake, steadied the innings. The duo added 51 runs for the fourth wicket. Madhushka also batted brilliantly in the second innings, scoring 63. Nipun Dhananjaya then played a useful innings of 46, while Anjala Bandara made 35. Gurnur Brar and Ravindra Jadeja took two wickets each for India.
Coming out to bat, Gill shared a century partnership for the first wicket.
Chasing the target of 207, India got off to a brisk start. Captain Shubman Gill came on the field today. He and Yashasvi Jaiswal shared a 105-run partnership in 20.1 overs. Gill scored 44 runs with the help of seven fours before being dismissed. Jaiswal retired hurt after scoring 61 runs in 46 balls with the help of 11 fours.
After this, India’s run-scoring pace slowed down. Pant scored 28 runs, while Ravindra Jadeja retired hurt after scoring 22 runs. At one point, it seemed as if the Indian team would easily achieve the target, but the Sri Lankan bowlers made a comeback and made the match exciting.
Siraj turned the tables in the final over
India needed 16 runs to win in the final over, and Mohammed Siraj was at the crease. Siraj turned the match around by hitting consecutive sixes off Keshav Nuwantha’s first three balls. He then hit a four off the fifth ball and took a single off the last ball to give India the victory.
Siraj played a blistering innings of 32 runs not out, including four fours, in just 15 balls. This performance helped India defeat Sri Lanka by four wickets, ending the match in a thrilling manner. Keshav Nuwantha was the most successful bowler for Sri Lanka, taking two wickets. The first Test match between India and Sri Lanka will now be played on August 15th.