Padikkal Finally Gets His Moment, Siraj Steals the Ending: India Beat Sri Lanka XI in a Warm-Up That Stopped Feeling Like One

D evdutt Padikkal's last Test appearance was back in Perth, November 2024. Almost two years is a long time to wait for another shot, and he didn't waste it.

Coming in after Yashasvi Jaiswal was gone for a second-ball duck, Padikkal batted like someone with a point to prove, which, frankly, he was. Fifty up in 61 balls, then a hundred in 121, fourteen boundaries along the way, calm through the lot of it.

He retired on 103 not out, came back out later once India lost their eighth wicket, and eventually finished unbeaten on 142.

India declared at 357 for six.

Here's the thing, though, and it's the part that actually matters for Galle. Sai Sudharsan, who's owned the No. 3 spot for most of a year now, is expected to sit out this entire series. Padikkal was always going to be first in line if that happened.

A century against a Sri Lanka XI attack in a tour match doesn't tell you much about how someone handles a moving red ball in a Test. But selectors don't get many cleaner signals than this, and it's hard to see them looking past him now.

Ravindra Jadeja added a scratchy but useful 63.

Manav Suthar, playing his first game outside India, chipped in with 41 and looked at home doing it.

Shubman Gill sat out the first two days with a finger injury, and there was more than a little quiet worry in the camp about whether he'd be right in time. He walked out on the final day and, by all accounts, looked completely fine.

Nothing flashy, just a composed 44 off 54 balls that told everyone what they needed to know.

Given everything else India is juggling in this top order right now, that half hour of Gill batting normally might turn out to be the most useful thing that happened all week.

Jaiswal, meanwhile, put his first-innings failure behind him almost immediately. Chasing 207, he and Gill put on 105 for the first wicket, Jaiswal retiring after a quick 61 off 46 balls so others could get some time in the middle.

Rishabh Pant played it safe with 28, India slipped to 155 for three at one point, and for a few overs the chase actually looked like it might drag.

Nobody plans for the fast bowler to finish a run chase with the bat, but cricket doesn't really ask permission. With the target in sight, Siraj walked in and smashed 32 off just 15 balls, three of those sixes coming back to back in the final over to end the match on the spot.

Statistically it meant nothing. For a touring group that had spent two days grinding away in Colombo's heat, it clearly meant something else.

Sri Lanka XI hadn't made it easy, either. Nishan Madushka top-scored again with 63 in the second innings after a half-century in the first, Nipun Dhananjaya made 46, and Anjala Bandara added 35 before their declaration set India that target of 207.

Jadeja and Gurnoor Brar took two wickets each with the ball, which is a decent early sign for a bowling attack that's going to need both spin and seam working in Galle.

It's just two tests, which is exactly why there's no real room to spend the first week figuring things out. The margin for error is smaller than usual.

None of this guarantees anything once the series starts on August 15.

The warm-up form has a habit of not translating. But India left Colombo with a captain who's proven he can bat through a finger injury, a No. 3 who made his case about as loudly as anyone could, and a batting order that, at the very least, remembered how to finish a chase without too much drama.

Galle rarely rewards teams that show up undercooked. This time, India didn't.