Indian spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja ran through the Sri Lanka Board's President XI
(SLBP) batting before opener KL Rahul made a solid return from injury on the opening day of the two-day warm-up tie, in Colombo on Friday.
The home team was comfortably placed at 139 for one, thanks to the second wicket stand from opener Danushka Gunathilaka (74) and Lahiru Thirimanne (59) before collapsing to 187 all out.
The match situation changed drastically after Thirimanne's fall in the 38th over with the next nine batsmen adding just 48 to the total in the innings lasting 55.5 overs.
All eight bowlers in the Indian squad had a go with chinaman Kuldeep (4/14 in 6.5 overs) and Jadeja (3/31 in 9 overs) the standout bowlers.
In reply, India were 135 for three in 30 overs with opener Abhinav Mukund (0) and Cheteshwar Pujara (12) falling cheaply.
KL Rahul, returning to competitive cricket after a three-month injury lay off, made a fine 54 off 58 balls including seven fours.
Virat Kohli too got to spend some time in the middle, scoring 34 off 46 balls, sharing an unbeaten 43-run stand with Ajinkya Rahane (30 unbeaten off 30).
Though Pujara stuck around for sometime, it was an opportunity lost for Mukund, who opened with Dhawan.
Both Pujara and Mukund were bowled by left-arm pacer Vishwa Fernando.
On the bowling front, it was a near perfect day for India ahead of the first Test beginning in Colombo on July 26.
Mohammed Shami worked up good pace upfront to take a couple of wickets in five overs.
India's premier spinner Ravichandran Ashwin went wicketless in 10 overs while Kuldeep and Jadeja troubled the batsmen.
Kuldeep has been impressive ever since he made his Test debut against Australia in March before making an impact in the limited-overs series in the West Indies.
The focus for India on Saturday will be to ensure the other batsmen get a go in the middle including Dhawan, who has made his way back to the Test team after a string of good performances in limited overs format.
SCOREBOARD: (Day 1 of the two-day warm-up)
Sri Lanka Board President's XI:
D Gunathilaka run out (Jadeja) 74
K Silva c Saha b Mohammed Shami 4
L Thirimanne c sub b Jadeja 59
D de Silva c sub b Jadeja 0
A Priyanjan c Rahane b Jadeja 2
S Weerakkody lbw b Kuldeep Yadav 10
K Vithanage c Kumar b Kuldeep Yadav 2
S Jayasuriya b Kuldeep Yadav 1
T Kaushal c Saha b Mohammed Shami 1
L Gamage c Yadav b Kuldeep Yadav 1
V Fernando 0
K Rajitha 0
Extras: (NB-1, LB-3) 4
TOTAL: (all out; 55.5 overs) 187
Bowling: Mohammed Shami 5-1-9-2, B Kumar 6-1-18-0, U Yadav 8-0-43-0, I Sharma 7-1-27-0, H Pandya 4-1-8-0, R Ashwin 10-2-34-0, R Jadeja 9-0-31-3, Kuldeep Yadav 6.5-2-14-4.
Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-139, 3-139, 4-141, 5-145, 6-161, 7-165, 8-179, 9-186.
India 1st Innings:
KL Rahul lbw b 54
A Mukund b Fernando 0
C Pujara b Fernando 12
V Kohli not out 34
A Rahane not out 30
Extras: (B-1, NB-4) 5
TOTAL: (For 3 wkts; 30 overs) 135
Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-46, 3-89.
Bowling: Fernando 6-0-21-2, Gamage 8-1-31-0, Rajitha 5-1 -21-0, Kaushal 3-0-16-0, Jayasuriya 1-0-8-0.
© 2024 Rediff.com -