India made a strong start to the first Test against Sri Lanka, reaching 246 for the loss of two wickets in the third session of play in Galle on Saturday. The two-match Test series between India and Sri Lanka got underway on Saturday, with India led by Shubman Gill and Sri Lanka captained by Dhananjaya de Silva. The visitors looked in control during the opening day as they built a solid total after losing two early wickets.
Indian openers KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal steadied India after an unfortunate dismissal of Yashasvi Jaiswal as the visitors reached 101 for 1 at lunch on the opening day of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. Rahul remained unbeaten on 32, while Padikkal was 35 not out at the interval. The pair had put together 54 runs for the second wicket from 16 overs, keeping India firmly in control. India appeared set for an even stronger start before a mix-up between Jaiswal and Rahul brought an abrupt end to Jaiswal’s innings.
Jaiswal lost his balance following a collision with the bowler, resulting in confusion between the two batters. Both players ended up at the non-striker’s end, leaving Jaiswal stranded. He was eventually dismissed for 32 off 37 deliveries. The dismissal was particularly unfortunate as Jaiswal had looked comfortable at the crease and had helped India make a solid start.
His departure, however, did not affect India’s scoring rate. The visitors continued to score at close to four runs an over, with Rahul gradually finding his rhythm after a cautious beginning. Rahul initially struggled against fast bowler Lahiru Kumara, who beat him on one occasion and induced an edge that fell safely short of the gully fielder. The Indian batter soon settled, pulling Kumara through the field for a boundary before taking the attack to Sri Lanka’s spinners.
Sri Lanka brought in experienced left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya in an effort to slow India’s progress, but the Indian batters continued to attack. Padikkal came down the track to launch Jayasuriya over long-on for a six, while Rahul responded by hitting the spinner straight over his head for another maximum. He followed it up with a boundary in the same area as India maintained their strong position heading into lunch.
It is worth mentioning here that India are currently ranked fourth and Sri Lanka sixth in the ICC Test team rankings. India reached a major milestone in Test cricket when they faced Sri Lanka in the first Test at the Galle International Cricket Stadium. Led by Shubman Gill, India is playing their 600th Test match, becoming only the third team in history to reach the landmark. England hold the record for the most Test matches played, with 1,097, followed by Australia with 882. India have played 599 Tests so far and are third on the list, while the West Indies are fourth with 596 matches.