Colombo, August 9: Mohammad Siraj, batting at number nine, delivered a stunning performance in the final overs, leading India to a thrilling six-wicket victory against the Sri Lanka Cricket XI in a three-day warm-up match.
Winning the toss, Sri Lanka opted to bat first and declared their first innings at 363/8. Nishan Madushka and Ravindu Rasanjana formed a solid opening partnership, scoring 110 runs for the first wicket. Madushka contributed 66 runs with 12 boundaries before getting out, while Rasanjana added 61 runs alongside Pasindu Suriyabandara.
Suriyabandara scored 71 runs, and captain Sonal Dinesha chipped in with 52 runs. For India, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and Manav Suthar each took two wickets, while Gurnoor Barar claimed one.
In response, India declared their first innings at 357/6. Devdutt Padikkal and captain KL Rahul shared a 96-run partnership for the second wicket. Padikkal remained unbeaten at 142 runs, hitting 18 boundaries, while Rahul contributed 40 runs. Manav Suthar added 41 runs, and from the opposition, Ramesh Mendis and Asanka Manoj took two wickets each.
Sri Lanka declared their second innings at 200/6. The team lost three wickets for just 51 runs before Nishan Madushka stabilized the innings with a 51-run partnership with Pawan Rathnayake. Madushka scored 63 runs before retiring hurt, while Nipuna Dhananjaya contributed 46 runs and Anjala Bandara added 35 runs. Gurnoor Barar and Ravindra Jadeja each took two wickets for India.
Chasing a target of 207 runs for victory, India started strong. Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal put together 105 runs in just 20.1 overs. Gill scored 44 runs with seven boundaries before getting out, while Jaiswal retired hurt after scoring 61 runs off 46 balls, including 11 boundaries.
As India seemed to be cruising towards victory, the run rate slowed down significantly. Rishabh Pant scored 28 runs, and Ravindra Jadeja added 22 runs before retiring hurt, leading to concerns that the match might end in a draw.
Siraj, however, entered the fray and accelerated the scoring. Needing 16 runs in the final over for victory, Siraj hit three consecutive sixes off Keshara Nuwantha’s first three deliveries, sealing an exciting win for India. He also struck a four on the fifth ball and took a single on the last ball, finishing with 32 runs off just 15 balls, including four sixes and one four. Keshara Nuwantha was the standout bowler for Sri Lanka, taking two wickets.
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