Gill returns to action on final day, India beat SLXI in three-day warm-up match
Colombo, August 9
A century partnership from skipper Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal helped India secure a four-wicket win over Sri Lanka XI in the three-day warm-up match on Sunday.
After skipper Gill missed the first two days of the action due to a finger injury sustained during training, he played a crucial hand in the run-chase of 207 runs.
SL XI won the toss and opted to bat first and declared at 363/8 in the first innings. Ravindu Rasantha (71 in 143 balls, with six fours and a six), Nishan Fernando (66 in 65 balls, with 11 fours and a six) and skipper Sonal Dinusha (52 in 72 balls, with five fours and a six) made half-centuries.
Manav Suthar (2/33), Ravindra Jadeja (2/64) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/76) were the leading bowlers for India. Aquib Nabi, drafted as Jasprit Bumrah's injury replacement, did not bowl any overs. Meanwhile, Saransh Jain (0/54), who got his first call-up, got some action with the ball.
In response, India lost Yashasvi Jaiswal (0) early, but a 96-run stand between KL Rahul (40 in 67 balls, with five fours and a six) and Devdutt Padikkal helped them get back in the game. Ravindra Jadeja (63 in 117 balls, with seven fours) had a 74-run stand with Padikkal before he was retired hurt. Rishabh Pant (2), Dhruv Jurel (1) were dismissed for poor scores.
Padikkal also had an 82-run stand with Manav Suthar (41 in 90 balls, with five fours and a six) and stood tall when India declared at 357/6, trailing by six runs. Padikkal made a sensational 142* in 164 balls, with 18 fours at number three. In the lower order, Saransh (22 in 45 balls, with three fours) and Gurnoor Brar (36* in 18 balls, with four sixes) posted handy knocks.
Asanka Manoj (2/32) and Ramesh Mendis (2/77) were the leading bowlers for Sri Lanka XI.
In their second innings, SLXI declared at 200/6, with Nishan Fernando (63 in 73 balls, with 10 fours), Nipun Dhananjaya (46 in 56 balls, with five fours) and Anjala Bandara (35 in 48 balls, with four boundaries and a six) playing handy knocks.
Jadeja (2/33) and Brar (2/37) were among the top wicket-takers for India, with Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna also getting a wicket each. Nabi also got to throw five overs, conceding 27 runs.
In the chase of 207 runs, Jaiswal (61 in 46 balls, with nine fours and two sixes, retired hurt), put on a 105-run stand with skipper Gill (44 in 54 balls, with seven fours) who made a return to action on the final day.
Pant (28 in 68 balls, with a four and three sixes) and Jadeja (22 in 32 balls, with three fours, retired hurt) played crucial knocks. In the end, Mohammed Siraj (32* in 15 balls, with a four and four sixes) and Saransh Jain (2*) stayed unbeaten as India ended the match at 214/4 in 45 overs.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Siraj hitting 32 off 15 balls with 4 sixes is what we love to see! 😄 The tailenders are contributing with the bat which is a huge positive for team depth. But I'm a little concerned about the middle order - Pant and Jurel getting low scores in a warm-up isn't ideal.
Good to see India getting some competitive time in Sri Lanka before the series. The partnership between Gill and Jaiswal in the chase was solid. Let's hope the main bowlers get their rhythm right - warm-up games are crucial for that. Excited for the real contest to begin!
Padikkal's knock was the highlight of this match. 142* with 18 fours at number 3 - that's proper Test cricket batting. The management has to give him a chance in the playing XI. Also, Gurnoor Brar's quickfire 36* showed he's got some hitting ability down the order. The future looks bright for Indian cricket! 🔥
Is anyone else concerned about Aquib Nabi not bowling many overs? I know he just joined as Bumrah's replacement, but he needs match practice. Anyway, happy to see the team win and Gill back. Hope the management handles the workload well before the actual Test series begins.
The way Jaiswal plays, especially in a chase, is just pure entertainment. 61 off 46 balls with 9 fours and 2 sixes - he doesn't waste time at all. Also, Jadeja being "retired hurt" twice in one match - hope he's fine. His all-round contribution is always so crucial for us.