Colombo, August 23, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India captain Shubman Gill reached a significant milestone on Sunday, becoming the fourth-youngest Indian batter to score 3,000 Test runs during the opening day of the second Test against Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club.
Gill entered the match seven runs short of the landmark after missing out on the milestone in the first Test in Galle. He completed the tally in the 23rd over of the first session, edging a delivery from Keshara Nuwantha for a boundary.
At 26 years and 349 days, Gill is the fourth-youngest Indian to reach 3,000 Test runs. Sachin Tendulkar remains the youngest to achieve the feat at 23 years and 228 days, followed by Virender Sehwag (26 years, 157 days) and Dilip Vengsarkar (26 years, 263 days).
Gill moved past former India captain Kapil Dev, who was 26 years and 356 days old when he reached the 3,000-run mark.
The India skipper opened his account after facing 12 deliveries, whipping left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya through the leg side. He then quickly added another boundary to complete his milestone.
Gill came to the crease after India lost Yashasvi Jaiswal for 45 to Asitha Fernando. Earlier, KL Rahul was dismissed by Lahiru Kumara after edging an attempted cut behind the wicket.
India reached 88/2 after 25 overs at lunch, with Gill continuing his innings.
India had opted to bat after winning the toss, with off-spin all-rounder Saransh Jain making his Test debut in place of Kuldeep Yadav, who was unavailable due to a viral illness.
“Batting first, yes. (On the pitch) It looks like a much harder, much better surface compared to Galle. Galle was also a very good wicket, but I think as the game went on, it got a little bit slower and the ball started to turn. We’re expecting the same, but I think for the first two or three days, I think it’ll be a really good wicket to bat on,” Gill said at the toss.
He added that Kuldeep was unavailable because of an infection and confirmed Saransh’s debut.
Sri Lanka also made two changes. Kamil Mishara made his Test debut, while Pasindu Sooriyabandara, who had earlier appeared as a concussion substitute, was included in the playing XI for the match.
Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva said the pitch appeared better for batting than the Galle surface but felt the cloud cover could assist his bowlers early in the innings.
India lead the two-Test series 1-0 after winning the opening match in Galle by 165 runs.
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