A 64-run stand for the second wicket enabled Sri Lanka to reach 87-1 at lunch on the opening day of the second Test against Australia on Thursday.
Dinesh Chandimal played fluently to be 35 not out at the break, with Dimuth Karunaratne digging for an unbeaten 34 in his 100th and final Test.
The Sri Lankan second-wicket pair batted with better discipline than the side showed when losing the first Test by a record innings and 242 runs last week.
After Dhananjaya de Silva won the toss and elected to bat first on a dry pitch, Australia threw the new ball to left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann alongside Mitchell Starc.
However, it was veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon who struck the only blow before lunch, sneaking one past Pathum Nissanka's legs to bowl him for 11.
Chandimal walked out with a steely resolve, taking charge of the innings with nimble footwork and rock-solid defence.
The number three batsman used his feet brilliantly, dancing down the track to dispatch the spinners and take control of the session, striking two fours and a six.
Karunaratne, playing his 100th and final Test, wasn't in full flow and looked scratchy at times but did hit three fours in his 34.
Sri Lanka made three changes to the side that slumped to their heaviest Test defeat in the series opener, bringing in Nissanka, Lahiru Kumara, and Ramesh Mendis, while leaving out Jeffrey Vandersay, Asitha Fernando, and Oshada Fernando.
Australia handed a debut to 21-year-old all-rounder Cooper Connolly, who can bat in the lower middle order and bowls left-arm spin.
Off-spinner Todd Murphy was left out from the side that won the first Test.
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