Devdutt Padikkal struck a fluent century as India faced a tough second day against Sri Lanka Cricket XI in their three-day warm-up match at the Nondescripts Cricket Club Ground on Saturday. Padikkal scored 103 off 121 ballsbefore retiring out, but India lost wickets regularly after his departure and reached 256/8, still 107 runs behind the hosts' first-innings total of 363/8 declared.

Sri Lanka Cricket XI had dominated the opening day, declaring their innings at 363/8. They opted not to bat on the second day, giving the Indian batters valuable time in the middle ahead of the Test series.

Jaiswal Falls Early

India's innings began badly when Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed for a duck in the first over. The left-hander chased a delivery outside the off stump and was caught at backward point off Vishwa Fernando.

KL Rahul then joined Padikkal in the middle, and the Karnataka duo put together a 96-run partnership to steady India's innings.

Rahul looked comfortable during his 40-run stay but was eventually bowled by Keshara Nuwantha while attempting an aggressive shot.

Padikkal Makes His Case

With an opportunity to spend significant time at the crease, Padikkal made the most of it. He mixed caution with attacking strokes and handled both pace and spin confidently.

The left-hander brought up his century from 121 deliveries before retiring out on 103. His innings is likely to strengthen his case for a place in India's Test middle order, particularly with uncertainty surrounding the No. 3 position.

Padikkal's return to the crease later in the innings was also notable. After several Indian wickets fell, he came back to continue his innings, a move possible because of the nature of the practice match.

Pant, Jurel Depart Quickly

Following Padikkal's retirement, Rishabh Pant came out to bat but could manage only 2 runs before being dismissed.

Dhruv Jurel followed soon after, falling for just 1 run as India slipped further.

The quick wickets shifted momentum back towards the Sri Lanka Cricket XI bowlers after India's strong partnership between Rahul and Padikkal.

Jadeja Leads Recovery

Ravindra Jadeja then took responsibility for rebuilding the innings. He played patiently while also finding boundaries when opportunities arose.

Jadeja completed a half-century and eventually retired out on 63 from 117 balls. His partnership with Manav Suthar helped India move beyond the 200-run mark and reduced some of the pressure created by the middle-order collapse.

Jadeja's decision to retire out was another indication that India were using the practice match to give multiple batters meaningful time in the middle.

Suthar Misses Fifty

Manav Suthar also produced a useful performance with the bat. The all-rounder showed patience against the Sri Lankan attack and reached 41 from 90 balls.

He narrowly missed out on a deserved half-century after being trapped lbw by Asanka Manoj.

Suthar's dismissal left India eight wickets down at 256, with Mohammed Siraj at the crease.

Kuldeep Also Retires Out

After Jadeja retired out, Kuldeep Yadav joined Suthar but did not stay for long. The spinner scored just 1 run from 15 balls before retiring out.

Mohammed Siraj subsequently walked in and was unbeaten on 1 when Suthar departed.

India's score stood at 256/8 after 72.1 overs, leaving them 107 runs short of Sri Lanka Cricket XI's declared total.

Important Test Preparation

The warm-up game is an important opportunity for India's players to adjust to Sri Lankan conditions before the upcoming Test series.

Padikkal's century will be one of the major positives for the Indian team, while the performances of Jadeja and Suthar also provided useful batting practice.

India will now look to close the gap on the Sri Lanka Cricket XI total while giving their remaining batters more time at the crease before the Test series begins.