After electing to bat, Sri Lanka recovered from an early collapse to dominate the rest of the day, with Wekunagoda anchoring the innings with some outstanding knocking.
India strike first before Sri Lanka recover
India got off to the perfect start after pacer Kavya Paresh Patel dismissed both the 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 team made an impressive recovery.
Wekunagoda shines with an unbeaten 203
Coming in at No. 3, Wekunagoda batted through the day and remained unbeaten on 203 off 227 balls at stumps. His superb innings included 31 boundaries.
I found 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 stabilize the innings.
After Dinsara’s dismissal, Wekunagoda stitched another crucial partnership of 128 runs with Kavija Gamage, who fell just short of a half-century after scoring 49 off 121 balls, including nine fours.
Heenatigala adds to India’s frustration
Wekunagoda then combined with Chamika Heenatigala, who was unbeaten on 33 off 77 balls, to add an unbroken stand of 70 runs for the fifth wicket.
The partnership ensured that Sri Lanka finished the opening day firmly in control.
Indian bowlers are struggling for strikes
Apart from Patel’s early burst, the Indian 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, bowling out 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.