Devdutt Padikkal struck an unbeaten 117 to steady India on a testing first day of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Sunday. At stumps, the visitors had reached 300 for five, with Dhruv Jurel unbeaten on seven and first-time Test player Saransh Jain on four.

Padikkal brought up a hundred for the second time in as many Tests, reaching the milestone off 168 deliveries. Compared with the century scored in Galle, this hundred demanded considerably more from the batter. Conditions at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground favoured bowlers, with the surface generating pace and lateral movement while the oppressive heat and humidity added to the challenges facing batters.

Padikkal benefited from a degree of fortune at the outset of his innings. Chances were missed on two occasions, with a fielding error occurring when he had yet to score and again when he had reached just one run. He converted the available opportunities into runs and occupied the batting crease for the bulk of the day's play.

KL Rahul departed with 24 runs to his name, leaving the team a wicket down. Rahul had appeared composed at the crease, even dispatching Prabath Jayasuriya over the boundary for six, before an attempted square cut off Lahiru Kumara found the edge of his bat and carried through to wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella.

Jaiswal contributed 45 runs and appeared to be building towards a larger innings. Avoiding the cut shot that had previously caused him difficulties, he played with fluency through the off side, driving Kumara for two fours before producing a clean cover drive off Jayasuriya. A delivery from Fernando cut sharply off the surface and passed through the gap between bat and pad to dismiss Jaiswal.

Gill, serving as captain, joined Padikkal at the crease to help stabilise the batting side. Their third-wicket stand yielded 120 runs in total. Gill reached a half-century before edging a delivery from Fernando through to the wicketkeeper and departing for the dressing room.

Pant was forced to leave the field after sustaining a blow to the forearm from a delivery by Kumara. His contribution of three runs placed additional pressure on the batting lineup at a vulnerable position.

Padikkal continued to press the bowlers with his aggressive approach. After reaching his half-century from 90 balls, the batter found a more consistent and confident stride at the crease. Against the short-pitched deliveries, he either swayed out of harm's way or nudged them into gaps, then played with a vertical blade to counter the spin bowlers. A boundary-reaching drive off Jayasuriya's bowling yielded four runs, with a single two deliveries later completing the hundred. Padikkal removed his helmet and lifted his bat in acknowledgement as teammates in the dressing room responded with applause.

Jadeja came to the crease and the two batters put on 74 runs together for the fourth wicket. Jadeja also sustained a hit to his forearm from Kumara, leaving him with noticeable swelling at the point of impact. A delivery that moved late through the air dismissed the batter for 29, with Fernando taking the wicket.

Nuwantha took the wicket of Padikkal, finding a way through his guard. At that point, the Karnataka batter had guided India into a considerably more secure position.

Dhruv Jurel and first-time Test player Saransh Jain will resume batting at 300 for five when the second day's play gets underway. Proceedings are scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM IST.