IND Vs SL, U-19 Youth Test: Wekunagoda smashes unbeaten 203 as Sri Lanka dominate India on day 1

Senuja Wekunagoda stole the show on day one of the 1st Youth Test against India, smashing a brilliant unbeaten double century to rescue Sri Lanka U19 from an early collapse and put them firmly in the driver’s seat against India U19. By the time stumps were drawn on Monday, the hosts had racked up an impressive 344 for 4.

The day started in disastrous fashion for Sri Lanka, who elected to bat first. Indian opening bowler Kavya Paresh Patel struck twice in his opening two overs, removing Dimantha Mahavithana for 2 and Dulnith Sigera for a duck. The quick double blow left the home side reeling at 3 for 2 inside the first three overs.

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From that point on, it was the Wekunagoda show. Walking out at number three, he completely neutralized the Indian attack. He played with aggressive intent from the start, finishing the day on 203 not out off 227 deliveries, a knock that included 31 boundaries.

Instead of letting India build on their early breakthrough, Wekunagoda anchored three major partnerships that deflated the visiting team. He first put together a 143-run stand for the third wicket with skipper Vimath Dinsara, who chipped in with a solid 52. Once Dinsara fell, Wekunagoda found another steady ally in Kavija Gamage. The pair added another 128 runs for the fourth wicket before Gamage fell just short of his milestone on 49.

India’s bowlers had to toil hard through 89 grueling overs, with captaincy rotating through seven different options to find a breakthrough. Patel was the only real threat early on, finishing with figures of 2 for 54. Pranav Ragavendra and Yashbardhan Chauhan managed a wicket apiece, but they could not stop the run flow.

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Towards the end of the day, Chamika Heenatigala joined Wekunagoda to pile on more misery for India. The pair added an unbroken 70 runs before the close of play, with Heenatigala remaining unbeaten on 33. Sri Lanka will look to build a massive first-innings total when play resumes tomorrow morning.