- By Sunny Daud
- Thu, 02 Jul 2026 08:36 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Sri Lanka A finished the opening day of the second unofficial Test against India A on a strong note, reaching 288 for 5 in 85 overs at Galle on Thursday. Skipper Sahan Arachchige led from the front with an unbeaten 83, helping his team build a solid total on a slow pitch.
Arachchige batted through with patience, facing 148 balls and hitting nine fours and a six. He also shared an important 99-run partnership for the fifth wicket with wicketkeeper Anjala Bandara, who scored 42 before being bowled by Saransh Jain.
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For India A, pacer Yash Thakur and off-spinner Saransh Jain picked up two wickets each, while Gurnoor Brar chipped in with one. Zeeshan Ansari, playing his first red-ball match in six years, had a tough outing and went wicketless, giving away 64 runs in 16 overs.
The pitch at Galle offered little help for bowlers, and Sri Lanka A openers Pawantha Weerasinghe (39) and Sohan de Livera (28) started steadily, adding 53 runs for the first wicket.
Thakur broke the stand by getting de Livera to edge one to Devdutt Padikkal in the slips. Weerasinghe, who looked settled after surviving the morning session, was dismissed just before lunch when Brar got him to edge behind to wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel.
Sri Lanka A continued to build through Nuwanidu Fernando (44) and Ashen Bandara (34), who added 57 runs for the third wicket. Jain eventually broke the partnership by getting Fernando caught by Padikkal.
Ashen Bandara also fell to Thakur after edging one to Jurel. Thakur bowled well in his second spell and made good use of both the semi-new and old ball.
Auqib Nabi struggled to make an impact for the second game in a row. He bowled 15 overs without success and was comfortably handled by the Sri Lankan openers.
Brar bowled with good pace and intent and got the ball to carry, but he managed only one wicket.
The biggest concern for India A was Zeeshan Ansari’s performance. Picked on the back of his net-bowling, he looked out of rhythm in this match. He bowled several loose deliveries, including short balls and full tosses, which the batters easily punished, as Sri Lanka A controlled the day.
Brief Scores:
Sri Lanka A 1st Innings: 288/5 (Sahan Arachchige 83 batting, Nuwanidu Fernando 44, Anjala Bandara 42, Yash Thakur 2/32, Saransh Jain 2/77, Gurnoor Brar 1/49).