The second and final Test between India and Sri Lanka ended in a draw in Colombo, a result that significantly dented India’s World Test Championship final hopes. With the result, the Shubman Gill-led side clinched the two-match series 1-0. Batting first in the second Test, India declared at 503/9 before bowling Sri Lanka out for 290 to secure a 213-run first-innings lead. The visitors enforced the follow-on, but Sri Lanka showed remarkable resilience in their second innings. They reached 429/9, taking a lead of 216 runs, before both captains agreed to call off the match. Dinusha’s Resilience Found a Way Against India to Draw the Colombo Test in a Historic Showdown.
TOSS-
India have won the toss and have opted to bat .
PLAYING XI-
India (Playing XI):
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Saransh Jain, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
Sri Lanka (Playing XI):
Lahiru Udara, Kamil Mishara, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva(c), Sonal Dinusha, Niroshan Dickwella(w), Keshara Nuwantha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando
DAY-1
India made a steady start after opting to bat, but Sri Lanka struck twice to keep the opening session in balance. Jaiswal was the more aggressive of the two openers, while KL Rahul settled in before falling for 18. Rahul had dealt comfortably with the new ball for most of his stay, even lofting Prabath Jayasuriya for a six, but a misjudged slash at a Lahiru Kumara delivery gave Niroshan Dickwella a straightforward catch. Padikkal then had a couple of early lives – first being dropped at backward point by Sonal Dinusha off Kumara and then at slip by Dhananjaya de Silva in Keshara Nuwantha’s over – before building a partnership with Jaiswal.
Jaiswal brought up India’s 50 in the 16th over with a boundary and batted positively, having reached 45 with nine fours. But after striking three boundaries in an over from Asitha Fernando, he fell to the same bowler’s next delivery, getting a big inside edge onto the stumps. The dismissal was followed by a heated exchange between Jaiswal and Fernando before the Sri Lankan captain intervened. Gill joined Padikkal, and the pair negotiated the remaining overs without further damage, taking India to 88 for 2 at Lunch.
The pair looked set to carry India through to tea, with Gill bringing up a well-made fifty in the 50th over. But just when Sri Lanka appeared short of ideas, Gill gifted Fernando his second wicket of the innings, slashing loosely at a delivery outside off and edging through to Dickwella to end a 120-run third-wicket stand. Rishabh Pant walked in and survived a confident LBW appeal from Fernando off his only ball before tea, with ball-tracking showing the delivery would have missed leg stump. India went into the interval at 187 for 3, with Padikkal unbeaten on 63.
India continued to strengthen their position in the first hour after Tea, but Pant’s innings was cut short when he was forced to retire hurt after being struck on the wrist by a Lahiru Kumara short ball. Pant, who made 3 off 14 balls, attempted his trademark sway-away-from-the-line pull but was hit on the wrist, immediately appearing in discomfort. After treatment from the physio, Pant walked off, and Ravindra Jadeja came out to join Padikkal. The change did little to disrupt India’s progress, with Padikkal moving into the 90s and Jadeja contributing a few boundaries as the pair took India forward.
Padikkal went on to complete a memorable century, raising his hundred with a single off Jayasuriya. His innings ended towards the end of the third session, bowled by flat and sharply turning delivery from Keshara Nuwantha, which ended a 74-run partnership with Jadeja. Sri Lanka opted for the second new ball as soon as it was due and tasted success with it as Jadeja was bowled on 43 by Fernando, shouldering arms. Saransh Jain, India’s debutant, got his first Test runs with a boundary in the same over to bring up the 300 in what was the last over of the day.
DAY 2
Earlier on the second day, it took Sri Lanka less than two overs to strike as Asitha Fernando used the bouncer to good effect to get rid of Saransh Jain. That wicket brought Rishabh Pant out to the middle again, as he was deemed fit to bat. This time, he put away a bouncer over the fine leg fence to send a statement, his 95-meter six landing crushing a solar panel in the process.
Pant continued to make merry as he next targeted Keshara Nuwantha for back-to-back boundaries and overtook Jurel. The two batters continued to motor along and brought up their respective half-centuries in the space of four deliveries that also dragged India’s total past 400. Sri Lanka was put under the pump when Pant turned on the heat further by taking on Prabath Jayasuriya for a four and a six off successive deliveries just before the lunch break. The break in momentum helped the hosts big time as they struck the first ball after lunch with Pant finding the fielder in his attempt to go big again.
While Jurel took over scoring duties, Manav Suthar kept Sri Lanka at bay by playing the ideal foil at the other end. After hanging on for 50 deliveries, Suthar was sent back to the pavilion by Jayasuriya, who finally opened his wickets column after a hard toil. The players then had to take Tea early as a result of rain that prevented play for almost two hours.
Once play resumed, Jurel endured a nervous time in the nineties before finally reaching his ton. After going past three figures, Jurel broke free to smash a couple of sixes that helped India push their total beyond 500 that brought out the declaration. Just two balls into Sri Lanka’s reply, rain returned again before clearing in time for play to resume at 5:35 PM local time, much to the annoyance of the hosts. To add to their frustration, the home side ended up losing two wickets over the next 16 deliveries. Prasidh Krishna got one to straighten after pitching to take Lahiru Udara’s outside edge that was pouched by a diving Yashasvi Jaiswal at third slip, before Suthar struck lbw to dismiss nightwatchman Jayasuriya.
DAY 3
When play resumed on 8/2, Sri Lanka opened steadily through Kamil Mishara and Pasindu Sooriyabandara. However, Prasidh Krishna quickly found his groove with the semi-new ball. He dismissed Mishara for 19, forcing the left-hander into an awkward fend off a rising short delivery that lobbed off his gloves straight to Dhruv Jurel. Sooriyabandara then found a reliable ally in Kamindu Mendis, and together they went after the Indian spinners, putting on 87 runs.
As the fourth-wicket partnership began to tighten the grip on India, Shubman Gill recalled Prasidh, who struck again just before the lunch interval. Mendis attempted to pull off a short ball but couldn’t keep it down, handing Ravindra Jadeja a routine catch at mid-wicket for 32.
After lunch, Sooriyabandara looked composed and confident, reaching his maiden Test half-century and steadying Sri Lanka alongside Dhananjaya de Silva. The captain, however, lasted just 14 balls before Manav Suthar found the edge, the ball deflecting off Jurel’s gloves before Rahul snapped it up at slip.
Sooriyabandara then combined with Dinusha to add 34 before Jadeja ended his knock at 80. The left-arm spinner kept targeting the stumps, cramping Sooriyabandara with a delivery that caught a thick inside edge onto the back thigh before trickling onto the stumps.
India broke through again shortly after when Mohammed Siraj dismissed Niroshan Dickwella for a duck, a short delivery down the leg side catching a faint edge through to Jurel. At 173/7, Sri Lanka was still 330 runs adrift, though Dinusha found a capable partner in Keshara Nuwantha.
The two settled comfortably against the spin, with Dinusha moving well on his feet and using the sweep to good effect while Nuwantha held firm in defense. Dinusha brought up his fifty, and the pair added 57 for the seventh wicket before Suthar eventually broke through, luring Nuwantha into an overly ambitious drive that sailed straight to Saransh Jain at mid-off for 18.
Dinusha remained not out through the final session, finishing on 84 and reinforcing his reputation as Sri Lanka’s most reliable batter in the series. He handled both pace and spin with ease and, alongside Kumara, made sure India couldn’t wrap things up before bad light and rain halted proceedings. India took the second new ball but failed to force another breakthrough as conditions worsened, with play eventually called off after 83.4 overs.
DAY 4
Sri Lanka began Day 4 on 265 for 8, trailing by 238 runs, with Dinusha unbeaten on 85. He wasted little time shifting through the gears, taking Saransh Jain for a six and a four early on before completing his second hundred of the series with a boundary pull off Prasidh Krishna. Lahiru Kumara also looked to break free, striking Saransh over mid-on for four. But his aggressive approach proved his undoing two balls later, as he miscued a lofted shot towards deep cover and Dhruv Jurel took a terrific low catch—giving Saransh his first Test wicket.
Dinusha’s innings came to an end shortly after, with Saransh claiming his second scalp. The off-spinner floated one up outside off and enticed the left-hander into a forward push, the outside edge carrying comfortably to Rahul at slip. Dinusha walked off for 103, leaving India with a lead of 213.
Sri Lanka made an encouraging start to their second innings following on, despite losing Lahiru Udara early. Mishara and Sooriyabandara then went on the attack against the Indian spinners, keeping both Suthar and Saransh on the back foot. Mishara was particularly aggressive, though his 58-run stand with Sooriyabandara came to an end when Jadeja trapped him lbw for 32. Sooriyabandara continued to anchor things as Mendis came to the crease, and the two gradually swung the momentum in Sri Lanka’s favour.
India finally got the breakthrough they needed when Prasidh went short to Mendis, and Shubman Gill took a brilliant running catch at square leg, ending a 116-run partnership. Sooriyabandara and Dhananjaya de Silva then shut things down, making sure Sri Lanka didn’t lose another wicket before tea. By the interval, the hosts had reached 199 for 3—just 14 runs behind India—with 116 runs scored in the session from 34 overs for one wicket, and Sooriyabandara nudging into the 90s.
Sri Lanka’s resolve, however, began to unravel in the final session as India made consistent inroads to reassert control. Dhananjaya de Silva briefly threatened to lift the tempo, heaving Suthar for a six, but the left-arm spinner responded immediately when the Sri Lankan captain miscued a flatter ball onto his thigh pad and Devdutt Padikkal took a sharp catch at gully, leaving Sri Lanka at 209 for 4.
Sooriyabandara, who had batted brilliantly for 92, then gifted his wicket away. Having survived an lbw review thanks to an inside edge, he charged Suthar but couldn’t get to a slower, wider delivery, allowing Rishabh Pant to complete a simple stumping. India turned the screws further as Saransh Jain trapped Niroshan Dickwella lbw to leave Sri Lanka at 218 for 6. Dinusha and Keshara Nuwantha then dug in and stayed unbeaten as the light faded and rain arrived, prompting an early end to the day’s play.
DAY 5
The seventh-wicket stand extended to 88 runs across more than 40 overs, also ensuring Sri Lanka wiped out the first-innings deficit. The first breakthrough of the day arrived just after lunch when Manav Suthar produced a delivery that spun sharply off the surface and clipped the outside edge of Nuwantha’s bat through to second slip.
Prabath Jayasuriya offered stubborn resistance, holding on for 28 balls before an attempted drive off Jadeja took the outside edge and flew to Jurel at second slip. Even with the lead swelling beyond 150 and just two wickets standing, India still had ample time and motivation to push for victory.
Lahiru Kumara, however, threw a spanner in their plans by providing Dinusha with determined support. The tailender used the sweep smartly to counter the turn, and together the pair consumed 169 deliveries for 47 runs in a gritty, attritional spell during which Dinusha brought up yet another century. Kumara did offer India a fleeting chance when an attempted slog sweep fell short of Jurel at deep mid-wicket shortly after Dinusha’s milestone, but genuine opportunities were few and far between.
Kumara eventually fell for 12, an inside edge gobbled up at short leg by Yashasvi Jaiswal. Nevertheless, with overs dwindling, Dinusha guided Sri Lanka safely through to the close without further alarm, helping his side avoid a series whitewash.
Brief Scores:
India 503/9 decl (Devdutt Padikkal 117, Dhruv Jurel 115; Asitha Fernando 4-106, Prabath Jayasuriya 2-132) drew with Sri Lanka 290 (Sonal Dinusha 103, Pasindu Sooriyabandara 80; Prasidh Krishna 3-52, Manav Suthar 3-85) & 429/9 f/o (Sonal Dinusha 133*, Pasindu Sooriyabandara 92; Ravindra Jadeja 3-94, Manav Suthar 3-121)
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