IND A vs SL A: Riding on a brilliant unbeaten 141 by skipper Dhruv Jurail, India A declared their first innings at 452/6 in the first unofficial Test. The Indian bowlers then put Sri Lanka A under pressure by inflicting two early blows. At the close of play on the day, Sri Lanka A were 113 for two and still trailing by 339 runs on the basis of their first innings.
For India, Anshul Kamboj (1/22) and Yash Thakur (1/20) took a wicket each to spoil the hosts’ start. Kamboj had wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella (10) caught by Sheikh Rasheed, while Thakur bowled Pawantha Weerasinghe (11).
However, Nuwanindu Fernando, displaying a good mix of patience and aggression, scored an unbeaten 65 off 103 balls, laced with seven fours. He was joined by Ashen Bandara, who made 18. After losing two wickets for 38 runs, the two batsmen steadied the team by adding an unbeaten 75 runs for the third wicket.
Sai Sudharsan and Dhruv Jurel scored hundreds
Earlier, Dhruv Jurel resumed his innings on 68 on the second day and went on to score an unbeaten 141 off 215 balls, hitting 13 fours and a six. His innings displayed a fine balance of patience and aggression, putting India A in a strong position. His partner, unbeaten overnight batsman Sheikh Rasheed, made 63 off 113 balls, hitting five fours. He could add just 10 runs to his 53 on the second day. India A had scored 333 for four on the first day of the two-match unofficial Test series.
Opener Sai Sudharsan made a brilliant 132, while Ayush Pandey (25), Devdutt Padikkal (12) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (22) failed to convert their good starts into big scores. Sri Lankan fast bowler Chamika Gunasekara took two more wickets on the second day to somewhat halt India A’s progress. He broke the 119-run fifth-wicket partnership by bowling Rashid and then dismissed Harsh Dubey (30).
Brief Scores:
India A 452/6 declared (Dhruv Jurel 141, Sai Sudharsan 132, Shaik Rasheed 63; Chamika Gunasekara 3-84) lead Sri Lanka A 113/2 (Nuwanidu Fernando 65, Ashen Bandara 18*) by 339 runs.
For more news & updates, follow The Crichub on X and YouTube
