Sri Lanka saved the second Test against India at the SSC on Thursday, batting through the final day after being made to follow on and declaring their second innings on 429 for 9. The match was drawn, and India took the two-Test series 1-0.

Sonal Dinusha, unbeaten on 133 from a second innings that spanned the whole of day five, was named Player of the Match. Added to his first-innings 103, it gave him two centuries in the match and three in four innings across the series — 419 runs at an average of 139.66. He was playing his fifth Test. India’s Devdutt Padikkal was named Player of the Series.

India, who declared their first innings on 503 for 9, were made to bowl 243.4 overs across Sri Lanka’s back-to-back innings. Dinusha alone faced 426 balls in the match.

How the last day was survived

Sri Lanka began the day needing to bat, not score. Dinusha and Keshara Nuwantha saw out a wicketless first session, adding 112 in 246 balls for the seventh wicket, before Manav Suthar found turn and bounce to have Nuwantha caught at gully in the first over after lunch. Sri Lanka led by only 117 at that point with almost two sessions left.

The lower order held. Prabath Jayasuriya lasted 71 balls before edging Ravindra Jadeja to gully. Lahiru Kumara — dismissed by an ill-judged slog in the first innings — spent two hours making 12 off 90 balls and added 47 in 170 balls with Dinusha before Jadeja had him caught at short leg.

Dinusha and Asitha Fernando then batted out 56 balls, most of them from part-time bowlers, with India conceding the game was gone. Sri Lanka declared to trigger the last hour, their lead having reached 216, and the handshakes followed at the first opportunity.

Suthar, Jadeja and Saransh Jain each bowled more than 35 overs in the innings and more than 55 in the match.

How the match got there

Sri Lanka had resumed day four on 265 for 8, still 39 short of avoiding the follow-on, Hiru News reported. Dinusha reached 103 — his second century of the series — before a loose stroke from Kumara ended the innings on 290. India enforced the follow-on with a lead of 213, driven by the threat of bad weather.

Pasindu Sooriyabandara, in his first Test start, was stumped for 92 after putting on 115 with Kamindu Mendis, who made 55. Suthar’s two wickets in two overs began a slide that left Sri Lanka effectively 5 for 6, before rain ended day four with them 16 ahead.

India took the series after winning the Galle Test by 165 runs. The draw denied them a 2-0 sweep.

Reaction

BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla praised Dinusha on X, calling him “an amazing player” who is “looking like Tendulkar” and “can be a wonderful test player in international cricket.”

Sources