Devdutt Padikkal has done it again.
The India Sri Lanka SSC Colombo Day 1 2026 belonged to the same man who owned Day 1 at Galle eight days ago — Devdutt Padikkal, who scored 117 off 193 balls at the Sinhalese Sports Club to give India the platform they needed for a strong first-innings total. The this Test day scorecard reads India 300 for 5 at stumps after 85 overs — a position that Cricinfo’s match report described as “India in a commanding position” against a Sri Lanka side that chipped away at regular intervals without ever finding the sustained breakthrough that would have changed the day’s complexion. The the Colombo Test day had all the drama that the series has been producing — Pant forced off by a Lahiru Kumara short ball that struck his forearm, Jadeja also taking a blow from Kumara before being bowled in the final over of the day leaving the ball, Padikkal surviving being dropped on both 0 and 1 to score 117, and Saransh Jain walking to the crease at No.8 on his Test debut to be 4 not out alongside Dhruv Jurel’s 7 not out at stumps. The today’s match continues on Day 2 — August 24 — with India looking to push their total past 400 and take the series lead that the Galle win had already established into a winning second Test position.
Match Details
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Match | India vs Sri Lanka — 2nd Test, Day 1 |
| Venue | Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo |
| Date | August 23, 2026 |
| Toss | India (Gill) — elected to bat |
| Day 1 score | India 300/5 (85 overs) |
| Overnight | Jurel 7* + Saransh Jain 4* (debut) |
| Series status | India lead 1-0 |
Complete Day 1 Scorecard
India 1st Innings — 300/5 (85 overs)
| Batter | R | B | 4s | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yashasvi Jaiswal | 45 | 53 | 9 | b Asitha Fernando — seamed back |
| KL Rahul | 18 | — | — | Prabath — lazy waft outside off |
| Devdutt Padikkal | 117 | 193 | — | b Nuwantha — quicker one off stump |
| Shubman Gill (c) | 50 | 108 | — | Serene fifty — Kumara |
| Rishabh Pant (wk) | 3 | — | — | Retired hurt — Kumara hit forearm |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 43 | 83 | 4 | Bowled — leaving ball — final over |
| Dhruv Jurel (wk) | 7* | — | — | Unbeaten at stumps |
| Saransh Jain | 4* | — | — | TEST DEBUT — unbeaten at stumps |
| TOTAL | 300/5 | (85 ov) |
Fall of wickets:
- 37-1 (Rahul, 10.4 ov)
- 66-2 (Jaiswal, 16.6 ov)
- 186-3 (Gill, 51.5 ov)
- 281-4 (Padikkal, 76.2 ov)
- 296-5 (Jadeja, 84.1 ov)
Key partnerships:
- Gill + Padikkal: 120 runs
- Padikkal + Jadeja: 74 runs
Sri Lanka bowling:
| Bowler | W | Runs | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asitha Fernando | 3 | 46 | Best — Jaiswal + others |
| Lahiru Kumara | 1 | — | Hit Pant + Jadeja — Gill out |
| Keshara Nuwantha | 1 | — | Padikkal — quicker one |
| Prabath Jayasuriya | 0 | — | Rahul — Prabath |
| Others | 0 | — | — |
The Padikkal Story — Dropped Twice, Century Anyway
The India Sri Lanka SSC Colombo Day 1 2026 headline is Padikkal’s second Test century in as many matches. But the specific detail that makes the innings even more impressive than the first Galle one: he was dropped on 0 AND on 1.
Two reprieves. Both in the first few deliveries of his innings. Had either catch been held, Padikkal’s Day 1 would have been a duck and Sri Lanka’s morning session would have produced the breakthrough that changed the match dynamic. Instead, both went down — the specific mercy that cricket occasionally extends to batters who are in form and whose form the match needs.
Once settled, the pattern from Galle repeated: patience in the early overs, accumulation through the middle session and increasing confidence as the innings progressed. The Gill-Padikkal partnership of 120 was the day’s most substantial stand — the captain providing the anchor while Padikkal rotated strike and picked up boundaries when the Sri Lanka attack strayed.
His dismissal — the quicker one from Keshara Nuwantha that pitched on off stump and straightened past his outside edge and crashed into the stumps — was the kind of delivery that gets good batters out when they are looking to defend rather than drive. At 117 from 193 balls, he had more than done his job.
Cheteshwar Pujara, watching and analysing from outside the series, made the specific assessment that captures what has changed in India’s batting in two Tests: “Padikkal deserves a long run at No.3.” After two centuries in two matches on the same tour, that sentiment is now unanimous rather than just Pujara’s.
India Sri Lanka SSC Colombo Day 1 2026 — Gill’s Fifty
Shubman Gill’s 50 off 108 balls — described as “serene” by Cricinfo’s match report — was the innings that allowed Padikkal to play his natural game.
The specific Gill quality on display: leaving the ball. The SSC surface offers more seam movement than Galle in the first session, and Kumara and Asitha were both getting the ball to move. Gill identified the deliveries to leave and those to play — his leaving was precise, his driving was controlled and his footwork against the spinners was assured.
He fell to Kumara with what Cricinfo described as “a nothing shot” — a waft outside off after reaching his fifty that a batter of Gill’s quality should not play on Day 1 of a Test match when set. The same dismissal pattern as Rahul earlier. Both got themselves in, both got themselves out to loose shots.
The captain goes to Day 2 with his fifty recorded and the match position established. His second innings will matter more.
India Sri Lanka SSC Colombo Day 1 2026 — Jaiswal 45
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 45 off 53 balls was the day’s most aggressive innings — nine fours in under an hour before Asitha Fernando produced the kind of delivery that dismisses in-form batters cleanly.
The match report described it directly: Asitha seamed one back from a good length. Jaiswal was in the act of playing a drive when the ball moved late off the surface. The edge — if there was one — carried. He was gone for 45 after taking the Sri Lanka bowlers on with the specific aggression that has characterised his Test batting all series.
A specific confrontation also emerged — Jaiswal and Asitha exchanged words after the delivery, a heated exchange noted in the Cricinfo live blog. The specific detail that makes the exchange notable: Jaiswal had just hit Asitha for a trio of boundaries in the previous over. The dismissal was Asitha’s response.
India Sri Lanka SSC Colombo Day 1 2026 — Pant Retired Hurt
Rishabh Pant scored 3 before Lahiru Kumara’s short ball struck his forearm and forced him off the field.
The SSC pitch — flatter than Galle, better for batting — is still a pitch where Kumara can generate steep bounce from his delivery stride. His spell in the afternoon session was the most physically confrontational of the day. The ball that hit Pant’s forearm on the pull was not the only dangerous delivery. The next Kumara over landed a short ball on Jadeja’s forearm too.
Pant retired hurt. He can return to bat at the fall of further wickets — his 3 is not the end of his innings unless India declare or are bowled out. The medical team will assess overnight. His importance to the middle order — the attacking left-hander who can change a session — remains as relevant at Colombo as it was at Galle.
India Sri Lanka SSC Colombo Day 1 2026 — Jadeja 43
Ravindra Jadeja’s 43 off 83 balls was the lower-order contribution that kept India moving toward 300 after Padikkal’s dismissal had briefly stalled the innings at 281 for 4.
He batted with the specific solidity that makes his lower-order batting so valuable — four fours, minimal risk, strike rotation and the specific composure of a batter who has been in enough tight Test situations to know what the innings requires from him at the moment he arrives.
His dismissal in the final over of the day was the kind of thing that happens: left the ball, it seamed back, crashed into off stump. The body language of a batter who thought the ball was going past off stump and found it was not. There is not much to analyse beyond that. He bowled well all series. He batted well all series. The stumps tonight were genuinely unfortunate.
India Sri Lanka SSC Colombo Day 1 2026 — Saransh Jain Debut
Saransh Jain walked to the crease for the first time in Test cricket on August 23, 2026 — at 33 years old, on debut, at the SSC in Colombo, in India’s second innings of a series they are already leading 1-0.
His 4 not out at stumps alongside Jurel’s 7 not out is not the debut scorecard line that announces a Test career in the way Padikkal’s centuries have. But Saransh Jain was not selected to bat at No.8 for India in the second Test in Colombo. He was selected to bowl. His off-spin against Sri Lanka’s left-handed batters — on a pitch that will offer him different assistance from what Jadeja and Suthar provide — is the reason he is in this XI over Kuldeep Yadav.
Day 2 will show what his bowling means for this match.
India Sri Lanka SSC Colombo Day 1 2026 — Day 2 Preview
India resume on 300 for 5. Jurel and Jain bat. Two aims:
For batting: Push the total past 400. The SSC pitch’s second day is described by Pujara as generally the best batting day — the surface settles after the first-day seam movement and before the third-day turn becomes significant. India want another 100 runs minimum.
For bowling: India will want the pitch to keep offering Suthar and Jadeja the turn that Galle provided. The SSC is a slower turner than Galle. Saransh Jain’s off-spin debut bowling spell — likely today — is the specific watch-point of Day 2.
Day 2 start: 4:30 AM IST — August 24, 2026.
How to Watch
| Platform | Region | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Star Sports | India | TV |
| JioHotstar | India | Live streaming |
| Sony LIV | India | App |
| Sky Sports | UK | TV + digital |
FAQ — India Sri Lanka SSC Colombo Day 1 2026
Q1: What was India’s Day 1 score in the SSC Colombo 2nd Test 2026?
India scored 300 for 5 in 85 overs on Day 1 of the second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo on August 23. Devdutt Padikkal made 117 off 193 balls and Shubman Gill scored 50 off 108. Dhruv Jurel (7 not out) and debutant Saransh Jain (4 not out) were unbeaten at stumps.
Q2: What did Devdutt Padikkal score in the 2nd Test SSC Colombo?
Devdutt Padikkal scored 117 off 193 balls — his second consecutive Test century after his 167 at Galle. He was dropped on 0 and 1 before going on to make 117. He was dismissed by Keshara Nuwantha’s quicker delivery that pitched on off stump and crashed into the stumps. His century came across two key partnerships — 120 with Gill and 74 with Jadeja.
Q3: Who made their Test debut in India Sri Lanka SSC Colombo 2nd Test?
Saransh Jain made his Test debut in the second Test at SSC Colombo. The 33-year-old Madhya Pradesh off-spinner came to the crease at No.8 and was 4 not out at stumps alongside Dhruv Jurel on 7 not out. He was selected over Kuldeep Yadav for his right-arm off-spin — specifically to target Sri Lanka’s left-handed batters.
Q4: Why did Rishabh Pant retire hurt in the SSC Colombo Test?
Lahiru Kumara’s short ball struck Rishabh Pant’s forearm while he was attempting a pull shot, forcing him to retire hurt on 3. Kumara was Sri Lanka’s most aggressive bowler on Day 1 — he also hit Ravindra Jadeja’s forearm with a short delivery. Pant can return to bat at the fall of further wickets.
Q5: Who was Sri Lanka’s best bowler on Day 1 at SSC Colombo?
Asitha Fernando was the most successful Sri Lanka bowler with 3 for 46 in 85 overs. He dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal with a delivery that seamed back from a good length — described in the Cricinfo match report as “a peach.” Lahiru Kumara took one wicket while also injuring Pant and Jadeja. Keshara Nuwantha dismissed Padikkal with a quicker one.
Q6: What time does Day 2 of the India Sri Lanka SSC Colombo Test start?
Day 2 of the India Sri Lanka 2nd Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo starts at 4:30 AM IST on August 24, 2026. Play begins at 10:00 AM local Sri Lanka time. India resume at 300 for 5 with Dhruv Jurel and debutant Saransh Jain at the crease.
