COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – In a dramatic final-day showdown at the second Test between India and Sri Lanka, a heroic unbeaten century from Sonal Dinusha and a gritty rearguard stand with Sri Lanka’s lower-order tailenders secured an unlikely draw for the hosts on Thursday. Despite the match ending in a stalemate, India walked away with a 1-0 victory in the two-match Test series. Dinusha’s performance made history: his 133 not out in the second innings, following a 103-run knock in the first, marked only the third time any player has hit twin centuries in a Test after being forced to follow on, joining elite company of India’s Vijay Hazare and Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower. The match had been shaping up heavily in India’s favor from the opening day. After winning the toss, India elected to bat first and posted an imposing total of 503 for nine wickets before declaring their innings. Standout batting performances from Devdutt Padikkal, who notched 117 runs for his second century of the series, and wicket-keeper Druv Jurel, who contributed a solid 115, anchored India’s big first-innings total. Indian bowlers capitalized on the momentum, bundling Sri Lanka out for just 290 runs in their first turn at the crease, giving India a commanding 213-run lead that allowed them to enforce the follow-on. By the close of play on Day 4, Sri Lanka had batted back to a narrow 16-run lead with six wickets down, reaching 229-6 before early rain cut the day’s play short. Half-centuries from Pasindu Sooriyabandara and Kamindu Mendis gave Sri Lanka a foothold heading into the final day, but the hosts still faced an uphill battle to save the match, resuming Thursday with just four wickets in hand and needing to bat through the remaining overs to force a draw. Dinusha stepped up to deliver one of the great rearguard Test innings, spending a full seven hours at the crease facing 264 deliveries, striking two sixes and eight boundaries on his way to an unbeaten 133. He got crucial support from his tailend partners: No. 8 batter Keshara Nuwantha held firm for 46 runs off 150 balls, while No. 10 Lahiru Kumara survived 90 deliveries to score 12 runs, grinding down the Indian bowling attack and eating through valuable overs. By the time stumps were called, Sri Lanka had declared their second innings at 429 for nine wickets, setting a nominal lead of 216 runs with just 17 overs left in the day, securing the draw. For India, left-arm spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Manav Suthar shared the bulk of the bowling wickets, picking up three wickets apiece for totals of 94 and 121 runs respectively. At the end of the match, Dinusha was honored with the player of the match award for his historic batting performance. Padikkal, who scored 167 runs in the first Test at Galle and 117 in this second match in Colombo, was named player of the series for his consistent contributions with the bat throughout the tour.
Dinusha’s century helps Sri Lanka snatch a draw in second test but India wins series 1-0
