India moved to 105 for 2 after 30 overs on the first day of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo, crossing the 100-run mark.

Captain Shubman Gill, on 23, and Devdutt Padikkal, unbeaten on 18, have steadied the innings following the early loss of both openers.

Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed for 45 off 53 balls when an Asitha Fernando delivery curved back in and found an inside edge onto the stumps.

KL Rahul had gone earlier for 18 off 33 balls, edging a short, wide delivery from Lahiru Kumara behind to wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella.

Padikkal, who struck a century in the first Test at Galle, survived a couple of early scares before finding his rhythm alongside his captain.

India carry a 1-0 series lead into the match after their 165-run win at Galle, with a positive result in Colombo enough to seal the series.

Debutant off-spinner Saransh Jain, who came in for Kuldeep Yadav, is yet to bat as India’s middle and lower order remain in the pavilion.

The Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo is hosting the second and final Test of the series, running from August 23 to 27.

Sri Lanka’s playing XI for the Test includes uncapped opener Kamil Mishara, with Dhananjaya de Silva captaining the side in place of the unavailable Dinesh Chandimal.

India had lost both openers cheaply earlier in the day, with Yashasvi Jaiswal out for 45 off 53 balls and KL Rahul dismissed for 18 off 33 balls.

Jaiswal’s dismissal came off an Asitha Fernando delivery that curved back in and found an inside edge onto the stumps, while Rahul edged a short, wide ball from Lahiru Kumara behind to the keeper.

Devdutt Padikkal, who scored a century in the first Test at Galle, survived a couple of early scares before settling into his innings alongside Gill.

Photo by Bollywood Hungama, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Sri Lanka have made changes to their squad for the second Test against India in Colombo, with Dinesh Chandimal and Kusal Mendis both ruled out injured.

Chandimal was sidelined after sustaining a concussion during the first Test at Galle, while Mendis missed the entire opener with a hamstring injury.

Uncapped players Kamil Mishara and Sahan Arachchige have been brought into the squad on the back of strong domestic form.

Arachchige’s selection comes after he scored 127 for Sri Lanka A against India A.

Sri Lanka’s pace bowling options for the Test include Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando and Milan Ratnayake, with Prabath Jayasuriya and Keshara Nuwantha as spin options.

The reshuffle comes with Sri Lanka trailing 0-1 in the series following India’s 165-run win at Galle, with opener Pathum Nissanka also out as he continues recovering from wrist surgery.

India go into the Colombo Test already holding a 1-0 lead in the two-match series, meaning a win or draw would be enough to seal a series victory.

The Galle Test was the opening fixture of India’s tour of Sri Lanka, with both sides having fielded largely unchanged squads before the injury disruptions that followed.

Sri Lanka’s selectors have historically leaned on domestic performances to fill sudden squad gaps, a pattern repeated again with the call-ups of Mishara and Arachchige for this Test.

Devdutt Padikkal’s 167 in the first innings at Galle was a maiden Test century, an innings that laid the foundation for India’s eventual 165-run victory.

Left-arm spinner Manav Suthar finished with a 10-wicket haul across the match at Galle, the standout bowling performance of the opening Test of the series.

The second Test will be played at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo, starting August 23, a venue with different conditions to the spin-friendly pitch used at Galle.

Photo by Price Zero, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Devdutt Padikkal’s 211 runs across two innings at Galle is the best match aggregate for an Indian batter at No.3 since Rahul Dravid’s 215 in 2009, also against Sri Lanka.

Padikkal, batting at number three, finished the first Test with an average of 105.50 for the match, anchored by his maiden Test century of 167 in the first innings.

Left-arm spinner Manav Suthar was the other standout performer, taking 17 wickets in his first two Tests, with match figures at Galle including a second-innings haul of six for 55.

Suthar’s second-innings figures are the second-best by an Indian bowler in a Test in Sri Lanka, behind only Ravichandran Ashwin’s six for 46 at Galle in 2015.

Despite the convincing 165-run win, India retained their fifth position on the World Test Championship 2025-27 points table, with their points percentage improving to 53.33 after five wins, four losses and a draw.

The strong individual performances from both Padikkal and Suthar have added early momentum to India’s new-look batting and bowling units ahead of the second and final Test in Colombo.

Both players will look to carry their form into the series decider at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, a venue where conditions have historically played differently to Galle.

Padikkal’s century came at a batting position India has used several different players in since the retirement of senior middle-order batters over the past two years.

Suthar remains uncapped in white-ball cricket but has established himself as a frontline spin option in the Test side within his first two matches.

Both Padikkal and Suthar had featured prominently in domestic first-class cricket before their national call-ups earlier this year.

The second Test at the SSC will be the final match of India’s two-Test tour of Sri Lanka, with the series outcome to be decided in Colombo.

Photo by Storm machine, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0