A fast-moving third day saw an exciting finish as tail-ender Mohammed Siraj flexed his muscles to help 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 negotiated two sessions before setting India a target of 207. An emphatic opening stand headlined India’s reply as they reached the target just before stumps were drawn.
Earlier in the day, it was Siraj who got things going for India by trapping Ravindu Rasantha in front in the fifth over. Prasidh Krishna then dislodged Pasindu Sooriyabandara in the eighth over. Nishan Madushka batted with a sense of purpose and made 63, sharing notable partnerships with Pavan Rathnayake and Anjala Bandara before retiring at the end of the 23rd over. Bandara and Nipun Dhanajaya also chipped in, but neither could kick on as SLC XI looked to up the ante. Gurnoor Brar and Ravindra Jadeja were the other Indian bowlers among the wickets, pocketing two each.
Shubman Gill, who did not bat in India’s first innings after injuring himself during training, allayed fears when he strolled out with Yashasvi Jaiswal to open the innings. Consecutive boundaries through cover off Vishwa Fernando demonstrated that the Indian skipper was in good nick. The duo batted aggressively, with Jaiswal compensating 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 half-century in the 21st over.
Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel then added 45, giving both wicketkeepers valuable game-time in the middle after being dismissed cheaply in the first innings. After both were dismissed in quick succession, Ravindra Jadeja and Manav Suthar shared a brief stand. The day ended in spectacular fashion as Siraj replicated Gurnoor’s range-hitting exploits from the previous evening. He hit Sonal Dinisha for a six before smashing Keshara Nuwantha for three consecutive maximums and a boundary in the next over. KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal and the other Indian bowlers did not bat.
