Former Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara lavished Sri Lankan batter Sonal Dinusha with high praise for his exceptional performance in the recently concluded Test series against India. Pujara said that Sonal Dinusha‘s batting took him back to the batting of legends like Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. In the Indian batting stalwart’s words, Dinusha has the talent to become a great batter for the island nation in the future.
In 5-10 Years, Sonal Dinusha can be one of the greats of Sri Lankan cricket– Cheteshwar Pujara
During a discussion on Cricinfo, Cheteshwar Pujara lavished Sonal Dinusha with praise, commenting: “The way he has batted throughout the series has been phenomenal. He takes me into that era of batters like Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. When I was growing up, I used to look up to those Sri Lankan players. In 5-10 years, Sonal Dinusha can be one of the greats of Sri Lankan cricket. He has shown that potential. The way he batted on the last day of the second Test match, it was a commendable effort.”
Dinusha was the leading run-getter in the two-match Test series against India that concluded with a draw on the 27th of August, Thursday. It was owing majorly to his efforts that hosts Sri Lanka were able to wrangle a draw from the Indians who thought their victory was inevitable. In four innings, the southpaw registered 420 runs at an average of 140. His innings included three hundred and one half-century.
Sonal Dinusha scored consecutive tons in both of Sri Lanka’s innings during the second Test at Colombo, racking up scores of 103 and 133* to steer the hosts to a hard-fought draw. The left-hand batter’s fireworks however had begun from the very first Test in Galle, where he had registered scores of 100 and 84.
Pujara Credits Dinusha’s Partnerships with the Lower Order
“Credit to Keshara Nuwantha and Lahiru Kumara as well. The partnerships were very crucial. The kind of technique Nuwantha showed was surprising because his first-class record doesn’t suggest that. Especially against the spinners, he was allowing the ball to hit the bat,”said Cheteshwar Pujara, crediting the lower-order batters who provided the support crucial for Sonal Dinusha to reach his respective milestones. Keshara Nuwantha, in particular, was Sri Lanka’s anchor in the storm. His scores were 18 off 74 in the first innings and 46 off 150 in the second.
Keshara Nuwantha and Sonal Dinusha added 112 runs for the seventh wicket in 242 balls in Sri Lanka’s second innings. The partnership was essential in ensuring that despite a follow on, Sri Lanka was able to extract a draw. Though India won the series, having won the match in Galle, the Sri Lankans took away some major positives from the series, Sonal Dinusha being foremost on that list.
Also Read: SL vs IND: Sonal Dinusha’s Ton Ekes Draw In Second Test