India concluded their three-day warm-up match against SLC XI at the Nondescripts Cricket Club Ground in Colombo with a decisive six-wicket victory. After resuming play with India declared at 357/6, the hosts batted through two sessions to set a target of 207. India’s pursuit was anchored by a century opening partnership, allowing them to reach the required total just before the close of play.
The morning session saw Mohammed Siraj strike early by trapping Ravindu Rasantha LBW in the fifth over, followed by Prasidh Krishna dismissing Pasindu Sooriyabandara in the eighth. Nishan Madushka anchored the SLC XI innings with a purposeful 63, supported by partnerships with Pavan Rathnayake and Anjala Bandara before retiring at the end of the 23rd over. Further contributions came from Bandara (35) and Nipun Dhanajaya (46), while Gurnoor Brar and Ravindra Jadeja claimed two wickets each to help restrict the hosts to 200/6 declared.
Shubman Gill, who missed the first innings due to a training injury, returned to open the batting alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. Gill looked comfortable, hitting early boundaries off Vishwa Fernando, while Jaiswal rebounded from his first-innings struggles to reach a 43-ball fifty. Jaiswal retired at the end of the 15th over, and Gill was dismissed for 44 in the 21st. Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel subsequently added 45 runs, gaining essential time at the crease following their early exits in the first innings. After they departed, Ravindra Jadeja and Manav Suthar also spent time in the middle before retiring.
The match ended in a flurry of runs as Mohammed Siraj showcased his power-hitting. Following Gurnoor Brar’s performance the previous evening, Siraj struck a six off Sonal Dinisha before hammering three consecutive sixes and a boundary against Keshara Nuwantha to seal the win. KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal did not bat in the second innings. 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.
Bandara (35) and Nipun Dhanajaya (46) also made useful contributions, but neither could push on as SLC XI looked to score quickly.
The duo batted aggressively, with Jaiswal making amends for his first-innings failure by reaching fifty off just 43 balls.
Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel then added 45, giving both wicketkeepers valuable time in the middle after being dismissed cheaply in the first innings.
