Padikkal smashes half-century as rain forces draw in India A-Sri Lanka A four-day clash
Galle, June 28
Left-handed batter Devdutt Padikkal smashed a fine half-century before persistent inclement weather resulted in a draw on the fourth and final day of the first four-day game between India A and Sri Lanka A on Sunday.
Chasing an improbable target of 312 runs in the fourth innings, Sri Lanka A were at 70/2 when play was officially called off following multiple delays due to rain. Starting their day at 53 without loss, India A progressed smoothly via an 82-run stand between opener Ayush Pandey and Padikkal.
Spinner Dilum Sudeera provided the initial breakthrough by dismissing Pandey for 38, which was followed by Ravindu Fernando trapping Ruturaj Gaikwad (1) lbw to reduce India A to 137/2. Padikkal, who notched up a solid 67, anchored the innings alongside skipper, wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, through a brief 44-run stand.
But Sri Lanka A bounced back when Sudeera claimed Padikkal, and Sahan Arachchige had caught Jurel behind the stumps in the subsequent over to leave India A at 172/4 at lunch. A heavy downpour delayed the start of the post-lunch session, but Sri Lanka A capitalised on the resumption of play.
Sudeera triggered a dramatic batting collapse, grabbing three scalps in a single over to secure a well-deserving five-wicket haul. Struggling at 189/8 but possessing a formidable overall lead of 311 runs, India A decided to declare their second innings and put Sri Lanka A into chasing.
Opener Pawantha Weerasinghe struck a fluent 20, but India A made a breakthrough when medium-pacer Auqib Nabi removed him, while Harsh Dubey trapped Niroshan Dickwella plumb lbw in consecutive overs to leave the hosts two down.
Another heavy spell of rain disrupted proceedings for over two hours. Though the field was cleared for a brief 8.3-over segment, poor light and wet conditions ultimately forced the captains to shake hands, as the game ended in a draw. The second and final unofficial Test will begin in Galle on July 2.
Brief Scores: India A 452/6 declared and 189/8 declared (Devdutt Padikkal 67, Ayush Pandey 38; Dilum Sudeera 5-49) drew with Sri Lanka A 330 and 70/2 in 15 overs (Pawantha Weerasinghe 20; Auqib Nabi 1-18).
— IANS
Reader Comments
Wait, so India A declared at 189/8 even when they had a big lead? That's aggressive captaincy by Dhruv Jurel! Gave Sri Lanka A 15 overs to chase and almost got a couple of wickets. Nabi and Dubey struck early too. Might have been an interesting finish if not for the rain. Love seeing young Indian fast bowlers perform abroad!
Dilum Sudeera with a fifer in the second innings! Sri Lanka A bowlers really fought back after India's massive first innings total. This is what A tours are all about — learning to handle pressure and fightbacks. Hope Padikkal works on handling spin better, especially on turning tracks.
Fair result given the weather. But the collapse from 172/4 to 189/8 is concerning — losing 4 wickets for 17 runs! India needs to address that middle-order fragility even at A level. Padikkal's 67 was good but he got out right after reaching fifty. 😕
Our bench strength is really impressive — Padikkal, Jurel, Pandey all getting runs abroad. Even the bowlers like Auqib Nabi and Harsh Dubey are making breakthroughs. This is exactly how we build for the future. But yaar, weather in Galle during June is always tricky. Glad they got some play in though.
Nice to see Devdutt Padikkal back among runs. He had a tough time in the IPL this season, didn't he? Always good to see players bounce back in red-ball cricket. The second Test in Galle should be more competitive — hopefully
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