IND A vs SL A: Sudharsan's ton, Padikkal's 94 help India give strong retort to Sri Lanka with 247/1 on Day 2

By the close of play on Day 2 in Galle, India A had asserted total dominance to reach a commanding 247/1, courtesy of a brilliant, unbeaten century from Sai Sudharsan (104*) and a crucial 94* from Devdutt Padikkal.

Sai Sudharsan's ton powers IND A to 247/1 on Day 2 vs SL A

Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka A failed to make their overnight advantage count, adding a mere 78 runs to their total before being bundled out for 366. Sudharsan and Padikkal then joined forces for a massive, unbroken 181-run partnership, comfortably cutting the first-innings deficit down to just 119 runs by stumps.

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The morning session started with Sri Lanka A looking to build on their overnight score of 288/5, but they faced an early setback when Gurnoor Brar dismissed Chamika Gunasekera just six overs into the day. Despite losing his partner, skipper Sahan Arachchige anchor-man aged the innings beautifully, reaching his century just two overs later. However, India A kept the pressure on, and off-spinner Saransh Jain soon broke through again by removing Keshara Nuwantha.

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A brief fightback followed as Dilum Sudeera and Arachchige combined for a 38-run partnership for the eighth wicket. That resistance was abruptly shattered, however, as Sri Lanka A collapsed, losing their final three wickets in just 12 balls. Jain triggered the slide by removing Sudeera, and Brar swiftly cleaned up the tail in the very next over by bowling both the centurion Arachchige and Asanka Manoj, wrapping up the hosts' innings for 366 just before lunch.

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The Indian openers kickstarted the reply with intent, scoring at a brisk pace and finding the boundary ropes with regularity. Their fluent 66-run opening partnership was eventually broken in the 14th over when Keshara Nuwantha managed to dismiss Aman Mokhade. However, that provided no relief for the Sri Lankan bowlers, as Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal settled into their rhythm almost immediately, guiding India A to a comfortable 111/1 by the tea break.

The final session of the day proved to be a completely fruitless endeavor for Sri Lanka A, as the two left-handed batsmen looked entirely unflappable at the crease. Sudharsan crossed his half-century mark in the 30th over, and Padikkal quickly followed suit by bringing up his own fifty in the 39th. As their partnership cruised past the 100-run milestone, the frustration grew for the host nation. Sudharsan ultimately brought up a magnificent century in the 56th over, while Padikkal was left agonisingly close to his own milestone, finishing the day unbeaten on 94.