India, Aug. 18 -- For the second time in the Test match, KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal stitched together a half-century stand for the second wicket. It was only the fifth time an Indian pair had managed two 50-plus partnerships in the same Test in Sri Lanka, the second such instance in Galle and the first in 16 years, with VVS Laxman and Suresh Raina the last to achieve the feat in Colombo in 2008.

However, the partnership would not have been possible without a crucial intervention from Padikkal, who convinced a reluctant Rahul to take an LBW review. What followed was a hug and an almost-kiss.

It happened on the last ball of the 11th over of India's innings when Prabath Jayasuriya got his arm ball to drift into Rahul. The batter prodded...