India beat Sri Lanka XI by six wickets in their three-day warm-up match in Colombo, chasing down a target of 207 to finish at 214 for 4 in 45 overs.
The target followed Sri Lanka XI’s second-innings declaration at 200 for 6, after an earlier first-innings total of 363 for 8 declared.
Devdutt Padikkal anchored the chase with an unbeaten 142, a knock that followed a century he had already scored in India’s first innings — giving him twin centuries across the fixture.
For a batter competing for a settled place in India’s middle order, a match with two centuries against a competitive Sri Lanka XI attack is about as strong a selection case as a warm-up fixture can offer selectors ahead of a Test series.
Mohammed Siraj closed out the chase with three consecutive sixes for an unbeaten 32 off 15 balls, while Ravindra Jadeja’s all-round contribution — a half-century plus two wickets in Sri Lanka XI’s second innings — reinforced his value as a genuine all-rounder heading into the series.
The result wraps up India’s preparation before the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka begins on August 15, 2026, with captain Shubman Gill’s finger injury still being assessed by the team’s medical staff.
Ravindra Jadeja and Harpreet Brar picked up two wickets each in Sri Lanka XI’s second innings, while Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna claimed one wicket apiece as India worked through the chase target.
Padikkal’s unbeaten 142 came after he had already registered a century in India’s first innings of the match, giving him a prolific outing with the bat across the three-day fixture.
The warm-up win concludes India’s preparation in Colombo before the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka begins on August 15, 2026, with captain Shubman Gill’s finger injury still being assessed by the BCCI medical team.
Photo by Anand Anil, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0