Sri Lanka Under-19 344/4 in 89.0 Overs

After electing to bat, Sri Lanka recovered from an early collapse to dominate the rest of the day, with Wekunagoda anchoring the innings with a stunning knock.

India struck early before Sri Lanka could recover

India made the perfect start after pacer Kavya Paresh Patel dismissed both openers in the first three overs.

Patel removed Dimantha Mahavithana for 2 and Dulnith Sigera for a duck as Sri Lanka slipped to 3 for 2.

However, the visitors failed to build on that advantage as the home side staged an impressive recovery.

Wekunagoda shone with an unbeaten 203

Arriving at No. 3, Wekunagoda batted all day and remained unbeaten on 203 off 227 balls at stumps. His remarkable innings included 31 boundaries.

He got solid support from captain Vimath Dinsara, who made 52 off 99 balls with nine fours. The pair added 143 runs for the third wicket to keep the innings going.

After Dinsara’s dismissal, Wekunagoda stitched another crucial partnership of 128 runs with Kavija Gamage, who narrowly missed out on a half-century after scoring 49 off 121 balls, including nine fours.

Heenatigala added to India’s frustration

Wekunagoda then teamed up with Chamika Heenatigala, who remained unbeaten on 33 off 77 balls, to add an unbroken 70-run stand for the fifth wicket.

The partnership ensured that Sri Lanka ended the opening day firmly in control.

Indian bowlers are struggling for breakthroughs

Apart from Patel’s early burst, India’s bowlers found little success.

Patel finished with figures of 2 for 54, while Pranav Ragavendra and Yashbardhan Chauhan took a wicket each.

India rotated seven bowlers during the day but struggled to contain Sri Lanka, who dispatched 89 overs as Wekunagoda’s marathon innings put the hosts in a strong position.

Sri Lanka entered the Youth Test series on a high after winning the previous three-match Youth ODI series 2-1.