Indian spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja shared seven wickets between them as India bundled out the Sri Lanka Board President's team for 187 on the opening day. The visitors ended the day at 135/3 in Colombo on Friday.
Coming back from a surgery, India opener Lokesh Rahul fired a rapid 58-ball 54 while skipper Virat Kohli and his deputy Ajinkya Rahane remained unbeaten on 34 and 30 respectively.
Opener Abhinav Mukund was bowled by left-armer Vishwa Fernando for a duck, in the first over of India's innings, while one down Cheteshwar Pujara was also bowled by Fernando, for 12 off 41 deliveries.
Earlier, the home side rode on a 130-run second wicket stand between opener Danushka Gunathilaka (74 off 97 deliveries) and skipper Lahiru Thirimanne (59 from 125) as the Indian left-arm spin duo of Jadeja and Kuldeep ripped through the line up.
Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep took his wickets largely against the lower order, but figures of 4/14 may nevertheless, have raised his chances of playing the first Test, alongside the frontline duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Jadeja.
Jadeja too returned with figures of 3/31, delivering impactful blows to the opposition. In the same over, he had removed Thirimanne, as well as Dhananjaya de Silva, for a duck.
Soon after, Jadeja had run out Gunathilaka and dismissed Ashan Priyanjan as well. From a comfortable 139/1 to 145/5, the President's XI failed to keep the momentum going in the later part of their innings as pacer Mohammad Shami wreaked further havoc to bundle them out in the 56th over.
Brief Scores: SLC President's XI first innings:187 (Danushka Gunathilaka 74, Lahiru Thirimanne 59, Kuldeep Yadav 4/14, Ravindra Jadeja 3/31) vs India first innings: 135/3 (Lokesh Rahul 54, Virat Kohli 34 not out, Ajinkya Rahane 30 not out).
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