Clinical India secure victory in warm-up fixture

A fast-paced Day 3 saw an entertaining finish as Mohammed Siraj struck three consecutive sixes to secure India a win in the three-day warm-up fixture against SLC XI at the Nondescripts Cricket Club Ground in Colombo. After India declared on 357/6 overnight, SLC XI batted through two sessions before setting India a target of 207. A century opening stand headlined India’s response as they reached the target just before stumps were drawn.

Earlier in the day, it was Siraj who struck first for India by trapping Ravindu Rasantha LBW in the fifth over. Prasidh Krishna then removed Pasindu Sooriyabandara in the eighth over. Nishan Madushka batted with purpose and made 63, sharing notable partnerships with Pavan Rathnayake and Anjala Bandara before retiring at the end of the 23rd over. Bandara (35) and Nipun Dhanajaya (46) also made useful contributions, but neither could push on as SLC XI looked to score quickly. Gurnoor Brar and Ravindra Jadeja were the other Indian bowlers among the wickets, taking two each.

Shubman Gill, who did not bat in India’s first innings after sustaining an impact injury during training, allayed fears when he walked out with Yashasvi Jaiswal to open the innings. Consecutive boundaries through cover off Vishwa Fernando showed that the Indian skipper was in good touch. The duo batted aggressively, with Jaiswal making amends for his first-innings failure by reaching fifty off just 43 balls. The stand ended with Jaiswal retiring at the end of the 15th over, while Gill fell six runs short of his fifty in the 21st over.

Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel then added 45, giving both wicketkeepers valuable time in the middle after being dismissed cheaply in the first innings. After both were dismissed within four overs of each other, Ravindra Jadeja and Manav Suthar shared a brief stand before retiring. The day ended in spectacular fashion as Siraj followed Gurnoor's six-hitting exploits from the previous evening. He hit Sonal Dinisha for a six before smashing Keshara Nuwantha for three consecutive sixes and a boundary in the next over. KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal and the other Indian bowlers did not bat.

Brief Scores: SLC XI 363/8d (Ravindu Rasantha 71; Manav Suthar 2-33) & 200/6d (Nishan Madushka 63; Gurnoor Brar 2-37) lost to India 357/6d (Devdutt Padikkal 142; Asanka Manoj 3-32) & 213/4 (Yashasvi Jaiswal 61; Keshara Nuwantha 2-57) by 6 wickets.