An unbeaten 141 from captain Dhruv Jurel allowed India A to declare their first innings at a massive 452 for six before their bowlers struck twice early on day two of the first unofficial Test against Sri Lanka A. By the close of play, Sri Lanka A had recovered to reach 113 for two, still trailing the visitors by 339 runs.
Sri Lanka A faced early trouble when their openers fell quickly, reducing them to 38 for two. Anshul Kamboj got the opening breakthrough by dismissing wicketkeeper-batter Niroshan Dickwella for 10, caught by Shaik Rasheed. Yash Thakur then bowled Pawantha Weerasinghe for 11.
However, Nuwanidu Fernando and Ashen Bandara halted the collapse with a solid, unbeaten 75-run partnership for the third wicket. Fernando looked fluent, hitting seven boundaries to reach 65 not out off 103 balls, while Bandara remained unbeaten on 18 at stumps.
India A tried multiple bowling options to break the stand, but spinner Saransh Jain, Harsh Dubey, and pacer Auqib Nabi all ended the day without a wicket.
Earlier in the day, India A built on their strong overnight score of 333 for four, which had been set up by opener Sai Sudharsan’s 132 on the first day.
While other top-order batters like Aayush Pandey (25), Devdutt Padikkal (12), and Ruturaj Gaikwad (22) missed out on big scores, Jurel anchored the innings perfectly. Resuming from his overnight score of 68, the skipper played a balanced knock of 141 off 215 balls, smashing 13 fours and a six.
Sri Lankan fast bowler Chamika Gunasekara provided the breakthroughs for the hosts on Friday. He ended the stubborn fifth-wicket partnership by bowling Shaik Rasheed, who departed for a well-made 63 off 113 balls after resuming on 53.
Gunasekara also removed Harsh Dubey for 30, who was caught by Weerasinghe after hitting two fours and a six. Before his dismissal, Dubey had shared an important 86-run stand for the sixth wicket alongside Jurel.
Gunasekara’s double strike forced India A to declare, but Jurel’s unbeaten century ensured the visitors stayed in complete control of the match before his bowlers put further pressure on the Sri Lankan top order.
India A Vs Sri Lanka A, 1st unofficial Test: Playing XIs
Sri Lanka A (Playing XI): Pawantha Weerasinghe, Niroshan Dickwella(w), Nuwanidu Fernando, Ashen Bandara, Sahan Arachchige(c), Ravindu Fernando, Anjala Bandara, Kavindu Pathiratne, Dulaj Samuditha, Chamika Gunasekara, Dilum Sudeera
India A (Playing XI): Sai Sudharsan, Ayush Pandey, Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dhruv Jurel(w/c), Shaik Rasheed, Harsh Dubey, Saransh Jain, Anshul Kamboj, Yash Thakur, Auqib Nabi Dar
