Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel Lift India to 419/6 at Lunch Against Sri Lanka

Colombo, August 24, 2026; India strengthened their position in the second Test against Sri Lanka as Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel combined for a valuable century partnership to take the visitors to 419/6 by lunch on the second day at the Colombo SSC Ground.

India resumed their innings at 300/5 and suffered an early setback when Asitha Fernando removed Saransh Jain for six. With the visitors six wickets down, Pant returned to the middle after retiring hurt on the opening day and joined Jurel.

The two wicketkeeper-batters gradually took control of the innings, countering Sri Lanka’s bowling attack with a patient approach. The hosts repeatedly tested Pant with short-pitched deliveries, but the Indian batter absorbed the pressure and continued his innings despite taking blows to his shoulder.

Pant and Jurel added 112 runs from 151 deliveries for the seventh wicket, providing India with exactly the kind of partnership they needed after losing a wicket early in the morning session.

Both batters reached their respective half-centuries before the lunch interval, helping India cross the 400-run mark and establish a commanding platform. Their stand also became only the second century partnership for India’s seventh wicket or lower in a Test played in Sri Lanka.

The previous such partnership came in 2015 at the same venue, when Cheteshwar Pujara and Amit Mishra put together 104 runs.

Pant also achieved a notable personal milestone during the session, moving past former India captain MS Dhoni to become India’s leading run-scorer among designated wicketkeepers in away or neutral Test matches.

India’s strong position has been built on contributions from several batters. On the opening day, Devdutt Padikkal produced an impressive 117 from 193 balls, while captain Shubman Gill made a composed half-century. Their 120-run stand helped India recover after the team slipped to 66/2 early in the innings.

India ended the opening day on 300/5 and continued to dominate proceedings on Monday, with the Pant-Jurel partnership putting them in a strong position to post a substantial first-innings total.