Devdutt Padikkal continued to impress, posting yet another half-century as India reached 187-3 at tea on day one of the second test against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Sunday.
Padikkal, a late injury replacement at the start of the series, was named player of the match in the first test after scores of 167 and 44.
Together with captain Shubman Gill, Padikkal added 120 runs for the third wicket as India, already 1-0 up in the two-match series, consolidated their position.
Gill was dismissed for 50 shortly before tea when he slashed hard at a ball moving away from him and was caught behind.
There was some assistance from the pitch for Sri Lanka's seamers in the morning session after India elected to bat first.
But the tourists batted freely after lunch as the track flattened out.
Padikkal received two reprieves early on in his innings.
He was yet to get off the mark when Sonal Dinusha put down a chance at backward point.
He was handed another life when he had just two runs to his name when captain Dhananjaya de Silva failed to hold on to a chance at slip.
Earlier, K.L. Rahul was dismissed for 18 after chasing a wide delivery from Lahiru Kumara and edging behind.
Asitha Fernando then cleaned up Yashasvi Jaiswal for 45, and the dismissal was followed by a heated exchange between the two players.
INDIA: K.L. Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill (capt.), Rishabh Pant (wkt), Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
SRI LANKA: Lahiru Udara, Kamil Mishara, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva (capt.), Sonal Dinusha, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Niroshan Dickwella (wkt), Keshara Nuwantha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando, Lahiru Kumara.