At stumps in scorching and humid stipulations within the aspects’ first Test sequence, the hosts had been 386 for 4 with Dinesh Chandimal unbeaten on 18 and night-watchman Prabath Jayasuriya 12 no longer out.
After profitable the toss and opting to bat, captain Karunaratne finished his fifteenth Test hundred ahead of making 179 whilst Mendis scored 140, his 8th ton within the five-day layout.
Opener Nishan Madushka used to be stuck in the back of for 29 off Curtis Campher to present the Irish an early leap forward.
But Karunaratne and Mendis added 281 runs for the second one wicket, beating the former report in Galle of 253 set via India’s Shikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara in 2017.
Still in quest of their first win after securing Test standing in 2017, Ireland’s bowling lacked penetration and there have been too many quick and huge balls that had been duly punished.
The partnership used to be in any case damaged when Mendis overlooked a sweep shot off the left-arm spin of George Dockrell to be trapped leg ahead of wicket within the ultimate hour of play.
Former captain Angelo Mathews then fell for a three-ball duck, swinging arduous at a large supply via leg-spinner Benjamin White to be stuck in the back of.
The 2nd new ball led to Karunaratne’s downfall as he fell for stumps with six overs left, making an attempt a pressure off Mark Adair with out a lot foot motion and used to be stuck in the back of.
His 179 got here off 235 balls with 15 barriers.
During the knock, he become the fifth-highest run scorer for Sri Lanka in Tests going previous the nice Aravinda de Silva with now 6,409 runs in 85 Tests.
There used to be flip and leap for the spinners, as is all the time the case in Galle, however the Irish bowlers didn’t take advantage of the stipulations and follow sufficient force.
Sri Lanka had been fast to punish the unfastened balls going at a brisk 4.39 runs an over as they took regulate of the sport.
Ireland have misplaced all in their earlier 4 Tests, together with to Bangladesh previous this month, and that is the primary time Ireland were concerned with a couple of Test fit in a chain.