India build big total despite rain and late Sri Lanka fightback

GALLE: A heavily rain-curtailed Day Two at the Galle International Cricket Stadium saw India reach a formidable 460 for nine at stumps, with Devdutt Padikkal's elegant 167 providing the centrepiece of the innings and Dhruv Jurel ending a personal lean patch with a fluent 51.

Only 43 overs were possible on Sunday after showers delayed the start until 2.35pm, but there was no shortage of action. Sri Lanka's spinners — the 'King of Galle', left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya (4-109 in 39 overs) and debutant off-spinner Keshara Nuwantha (3-175 in 39 overs) — shared all seven wickets to fall, turning the tide after an ordinary opening day in which they had bowled 78 overs without much success.

Padikkal's masterclass anchors India

Resuming on 131, Padikkal completed his maiden Test 150 off 215 balls with a superb lofted flick over mid-wicket off pacer Asitha Fernando. His long vigil finally ended when he was stumped off a beauty from Jayasuriya, who held his length back after seeing the left-hander charge down the track. The 167 was the fourth-highest Test score by an Indian batter in Sri Lanka.

"I had dreamt of this moment and have spent the last two years working hard to ensure that whenever an opportunity came my way, I could do something special," Padikkal said. "On playing spin, you need to have certain plans in your head, as you cannot always react to what the bowler delivers. Over the last year or so, I have worked on ways to put the pressure back on the bowlers with my shots."

Jurel ends seven-innings drought

Coming into the Test, pressure was mounting on Jurel. The 25-year-old had failed to score a fifty in his previous seven innings, raising questions over his place in the playing XI. Justifying the faith shown in him by the team management, Jurel struck 51 off 68 balls — his second Test half-century and his first in eight innings.

"There was, honestly, no pressure. I am very grateful that I have the opportunity to represent India. That's the only privilege that I play for," Jurel said at the post-day press conference. "Whenever I speak to the captain or head coach, they always tell me what to do according to the situation. So I play accordingly. There is no personal milestone that I look for before batting. I just go there and do what the team needs."

Jurel, who came in as a wicketkeeper-batter but is playing as a specialist batter, justified the decision to pick him ahead of injury replacement Sarfaraz Khan. He was given a huge reprieve on 29 when Sri Lankan captain Dhananjaya de Silva dropped a healthy edge off Jayasuriya at first slip, and he made the most of it, including a six over mid-wicket against Nuwantha. He eventually fell for 51 when de Silva took a flying catch at slip off Jayasuriya.

Jurel credited his early arrival in Sri Lanka and previous experience at the venue for India A. "We came here 10 days before the first Test. We practised in Colombo and, before that, played for India A. It's all about batting on these kinds of surfaces as much as I can. It improves my batting, helps me understand the environment and the situation. So it's really helpful," he said.

Lower order answers the call

Jurel added 55 for the seventh wicket with Manav Suthar, who scored 24, as the team management's call for lower-order contributions — made necessary by the absence of injured all-rounders such as Washington Sundar — was answered. Mohammad Siraj produced some heavy blows before stumps, while Kuldeep Yadav was unbeaten on 12 and Prasidh Krishna on one at the close.

Sri Lanka's late revival

India's day began on a wrong note when Rishabh Pant (39) stepped out and miscued a flighted delivery from Nuwantha to deepish mid-off, where Sonal Dinusha took the catch — the debutant's maiden Test wicket. KL Rahul, who had retired hurt on 77 with cramps on Saturday, resumed but added only five before falling to Nuwantha, flicking to Nishan Fernando at short leg. After tea, Ravindra Jadeja fell lbw for 13 to Nuwantha.

Bowling slightly quicker through the air after being too slow on the opening day, the Sri Lankan spinners finally extracted more from the slow surface. Sri Lanka will take confidence from the way their spinners improved as the day progressed, and the hosts will hope for more of the same when they finally get their turn with the bat.

Brief scores: India (o/n 288/2) 460/9 in 116 overs (KL Rahul 82, Devdutt Padikkal 167, Dhruv Jurel 51; Keshara Nuwantha 3/175, Prabath Jayasuriya 4/109) vs Sri Lanka.