Sonal Dinusha etched his name in the record books on the last day of the Test, scoring a magnificent 133* off 264 balls in Sri Lanka’s second innings. Though India enforced a follow on onto the hosts, Sonal Dinusha‘s unbeaten knock snatched the win from India’s jaws, leading to the match ending in a draw.
Sonal Dinusha’s Century Turned Tides in Sri Lanka’s Favour
Sonal Dinusha’s remarkable performance was his third hundred of the two-match series, making him only the eighth Sri Lankan batter to score centuries in both innings of a Test against India. Sonal Dinusha’s ton changed the trajectory of the match, leading the hosts from an inevitable loss to a position from where they could potentially push for an unlikely victory. Sonal Dinusha had been Sri Lanka’s pillar in the first innings with a score of 103 (162), and when the follow on was enforced, the batter stood firm for his team once again.
Sonal Dinusha remained unruffled by Indian skipper Shubman Gill’s bottleneck strategy, punching Prasidh Krishna’s delivery past sweeper-cover, and guiding spinner Ravindra Jadeja past over mid-wicket. A four, swept over Manav Suthar’s delivery, helped Dinusha move to a score of 97. At tea the scoreboard read 383/8 for the hosts. Despite a lacklustre second session for Sri Lanka which produced only 53 runs, Sonal Dinusha held onto his composure to reach the coveted triple digits, soaking in the rightful applause from the stands.
Dinusha Causes Shubman Gill’s Men to Despair
Under the harsh Colombo sun, southpaw Sonal Dinusha made the Shubman Gill-led side despair, with Mohammed Siraj resorting to switching the bails at the striker’s end. A few miscued shots eluded the Indian fielders as well. Captain Gill switched from spin to pace at both ends, with Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj operating in tandem.
When Ravindra Jadeja was introduced, Sonal Dinusha guided the ball past a diving leg-slip. Keeping his calm as the Indian bowlers breathed down his neck, Dinusha soon reached his fifty, aiding Sri Lanka in moving to 330/6 at lunch. Sonal Dinusha found partners in Keshara Nuwantha, who played a patient 46 off 150 deliveries, Lahiru Kumara (12 from 90 deliveries) and Asitha Fernando. Sonal Dinusha and Keshara Nuwantha had added 112 runs for the seventh wicket, constituting a vital part of Sri Lanka’s resistance.
Sonal Dinusha Wrangles a Draw for the Lankans
India had looked on their way to a victory in the second Test at the end of Day 4. Sri Lanka started the fifth day on an overnight score of 229/6 with Dinusha on seven runs in 37 balls. Sri Lanka led by 142 runs with Nuwantha having fallen to Manav Suthar and Prabath Jayasuriya having been dismissed by Ravindra Jadeja just over ten overs later.
India believed that a clean sweep victory was close at hand, but tailenders Lahiru Kumara and Asitha Fernando played their role of shutting up one end to near perfection. The pacers allowed Sonal Dinusha to play his natural game. By the time Lahiru fell to Jadeja, any realistic chances of an Indian win had faded away.
India’s End-of-Day Tactic
As light began fading on the final day of the last Test at Colombo, India ended up handing the ball over to their batters as it became clear that there was only a draw on the cards. Captain Shubman Gill, who had bowled just seven balls in his Test career before Thursday, bowled two full overs, and nearly got the last Sri Lankan wicket. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel also bowled an over each.
After the fall of the sixth wicket, Sri Lanka’s lower-order batters dug their heels into the ground and collectively spent close to 90 overs at the crease along with Sonal Dinusha to snatch victory from the jaws of the Men in Blue. With consecutive tons in both innings, Dinusha succeeded in ensuring that his name is remembered by millions across both nations.
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