Padikkal unbeaten 131 and Pant 27* as bad light halts Day 1 in Galle
India ended Day 1 of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle with Devdutt Padikkal unbeaten on 131 and Rishabh Pant on 27 after play was stopped because of bad light.
India elected to bat in their 600th Test and received a solid start from their top order as Yashasvi Jaiswal made 32 before being run out and vice-captain KL Rahul reached 77 but was forced to retire hurt with severe body cramps; the visitors went into lunch at 101/1 with Rahul and Padikkal unbeaten on 32 and 35 respectively.
The second session was productive for India as Rahul and Padikkal extended their partnership to 150, both reaching half-centuries, and India moved to 197/1 by Tea while Sri Lanka struggled for consistent lines and lengths.
Padikkal accelerated in the final session, reaching his century in 134 balls by driving Keshara Nuwantha to mid-off, and finished unbeaten on 131 from 178 deliveries with 12 fours and a six; he shared a 52-run stand with Pant before bad light ended play with 17 overs remaining.
Pant adopted an attacking approach against the Sri Lankan spinners, including launching Prabath Jayasuriya over wide long-on for six and striking boundaries off Keshara Nuwantha as he forged the unbeaten third-wicket partnership with Padikkal; Pant was 27 off 36 balls at stumps.
Padikkal’s hundred was framed by a recent run of form in domestic cricket: 119 runs in five matches in the 2023-24 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, 465 at an average of 155 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and 556 at 92.66 in the Ranji Trophy including three centuries, followed by 543 runs at 60.33 in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy after he was named Karnataka captain in January; the report also notes his back-to-back IPL titles with RCB and working with Virat Kohli.
There were interruptions through the day, including a 20-minute rain stoppage and a ball change after one ball went out of shape; the umpires called stumps at 12.30 pm GMT (6 pm IST) with the light judged insufficient, and the reading at that time will serve as the reference mark for the remaining days of the Test.
India finished the opening day in a commanding position at 288/2 and will resume on Day 2 at 9:45 am local time (4.15 am GMT) aiming to push their first-innings total well past 500 with Padikkal and Pant the overnight batters.
