The biggest development of the day, however, came away from the field as Sai Sudharsan’s absence from the warm-up match was followed by confirmation that his toe injury has ruled him out of the two-Tests against Sri Lanka
Published: August 8, 2026, 7:33 PM IST
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Devdutt Padikkal plays a shot on day 2 of the unofficial Test against Sri Lanka Cricket XI(Credits: X)
Devdutt Padikkal gave India plenty to cheer about on the second day of their three-day warm-up match against Sri Lanka Cricket XI in ColomboThe left-hander scored an unbeaten 142 as India finished the day on 357/6, just six runs behind Sri Lanka XI’s declared total of 363/8.
Padikkal walked in after India lost Yashasvi Jaiswal for a duck off only two ballsHe then played a patient innings and held the Indian batting effort together for most of the dayThe Karnataka batter faced 164 balls and hit 18 fours in his 142 not out.
KL Rahul, leading India in the absence of Shubman Gill, gave Padikkal good support early onRahul scored 40 from 67 balls, with five fours and a six, before being dismissed by Keshara NuwanthaThe pair added 96 runs for the second wicket after Jaiswal’s early dismissal.
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India then lost Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel in quick successionPant made only two, while Jurel managed oneRavindra Jadeja, who came in at No4, helped Padikkal build another useful stand before retiring hurt after scoring 63 off 117 balls.
Jadeja hit seven boundaries during his stay and played an important role in keeping India’s innings on trackManav Suthar also spent useful time at the crease, scoring 41 from 90 balls.
India’s lower order then kept the scoring movingMohammed Siraj fell for one, while Saransh Jain retired hurt on 22Kuldeep Yadav also retired hurt after scoring oneGurnoor Brar provided the late entertainment with an unbeaten 36 off just 18 balls, including two fours and four sixes.
Sri Lanka XI had earlier declared their innings at 363/8 after batting for 90 oversNishan Madushka top-scored with 66, while Ravindu Rasantha made 71Sonal Dinusha added 52 and Pavan Rathnayake scored 39.
For India, Manav Suthar and Kuldeep Yadav took two wickets each, while Ravindra Jadeja also picked up twoGurnoor Brar took one wicket.
The biggest development of the day, however, came away from the fieldSai Sudharsan’s absence from the warm-up match was followed by confirmation that his toe injury has ruled him out of the upcoming two-Test series against Sri LankaThe decision was taken after discussions with the team management.
Sudharsan had been expected to bat at No3, but his injury has opened the door for PadikkalAfter his unbeaten 142, the left-hander now looks the most likely replacement at No3 for the first Test.
India will begin the final day just six runs behind Sri Lanka XI, with Padikkal and Brar still at the creaseMore importantly, Padikkal has used the warm-up game to make a strong case for a Test debut.
