Sonal Dinusha’s gritty 133 not out denied India a bagful of 12 points after the 25-year-old single-handedly helped Sri Lanka salvage a draw in the second Test in Colombo, that ended on Thursday.
Starting the final day at 229/6 and 16 runs ahead, it looked like India would walk out with an easily.
But Dinusha had other plans as he forged a century stand – 112 runs in 242 balls – with Keshara Nuwantha (46) in a remarkable fightback for Sri Lanka. India did made a comeback with two wickets of Nuwantha and Prabath Jayasuriya, but the ninth-wicket stand of 47 off 169 deliveries between Lahiru Kumara and Dinusha dashed India’s hopes.
During the stand, Kumara played 90 balls – 15 overs – for his 12 runs while Dinusha played 80 deliveries for his 30, to deny India a victory. Sri Lanka were 429/9 with no real chance of any outright result when the players shook hands. India won the series 1-0, but Sri Lanka will take a lot of heart from their fightback at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground.
According to Cricbuzz, Sri Lanka’s no.8 to 11 batters played a total of 292 balls between them, which is the sixth most for the lower order in an innings while following on in Tests. The Lankan fightback came after being followed-on. After India declared 503/9 in the first innings, Sri Lanka were all out for 290 in response and were asked to follow-on.
India remain static in WTC standings
With this draw, India remained static in the fifth spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 points table despite gaining 16 points from this series. While a win ensures 12 points, a draw comes with four points. Having started the Colombo Test at 53.33% PCT, India’s Point Percentage dropped to 51.52%.
Australia (80% PCT) continue to lead the WTC standings, followed by South Africa (75% PCT), New Zealand (72.22% PCT) and Bangladesh (55.56% PCT). Sri Lanka remain sixth with 33.33% PCT.