Galle, July 2 (IANS) Skipper Sahan Arachchige led from the front with an unbeaten 83 to help Sri Lanka ‘A’ reach a commanding 288/5 on the opening day of the second four-day game against India ‘A’ on Thursday. For India, pacer Yash Thakur and off-spinner Saransh Jain were the standout bowlers with two scalps each.

Earlier, India ‘A’ made three tactical alterations to their playing eleven – drafting in Aman Mokhade, Zeeshan Ansari, and Gurnoor Brar in place of Ayush Pandey, Harsh Dubey, and Anshul Kamboj. B Sai Sudharsan, who retired hurt in the second innings in the first game, became fit for the ongoing game.

Opting to bat first, the hosts received a steady launchpad from openers Pawantha Weerasinghe and Sohan de Livera, who put together a 53-run partnership. Thakur provided India A’s first breakthrough in the 16th over by removing de Livera for 28. Weerasinghe looked set but threw away his start for 39, falling to Gurnoor Brar just before the lunch break.

The afternoon session saw Nuwanidu Fernando (44) play with positive intent, hitting Brar for consecutive boundaries. He stitched a crucial 57-run stand for the third wicket with Ashen Bandara before Saransh broke the partnership in the 37th over. The pattern of batsmen failing to convert good starts persisted as Ashen was dismissed for 34 in the 47th over.

Thereafter, Arachchige joined forces with Anjala Bandara to frustrate the Indian bowlers by guiding the home team to 192/4 by tea. The Sri Lanka A captain looked comfortable throughout his stay and crossed his half-century with a boundary off Auqib Nabi in the 64th over.

India A’s search for a wicket finally ended in the 77th over when Saransh cleaned up Anjala for 42, ending a stubborn 99-run association. However, Arachchige remained unperturbed through the final session till stumps were called.

Brief scores:

Sri Lanka A 288/5 in 85 overs (Sahan Arachchige 83 not out, Nuwanidu Fernando 44; Yash Thakur 2-32, Saransh Jain 2-77) against India A

–IANS

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