Sri Lanka all-rounder Sonal Dinusha produced a remarkable rearguard effort to single-handedly salvage a draw for the hosts in the second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo, on Thursday, August 27. Batting at No. 6, the left-hander crafted a series of pivotal innings that frustrated India across five days and kept Sri Lanka alive in the contest.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir acknowledged the fight shown by both sides in a post on X, commending his team’s character and patience while tipping his hat to Dinusha’s extraordinary contributions across the series. The stalemate cost India the full 12 World Test Championship points on offer in Colombo, a haul that would have significantly boosted their standings. India had already secured the opening Test at Galle International Stadium from August 15–19, 2026, clinching the two-match series 1–0.
Test cricket needs character, patience and mental toughness that’s shown by our boys! Special shoutout to Sonal Dinusha for his exceptional performance!
02:36 PM · Aug 28, 2026
Dinusha’s Record-Breaking Series Numbers
Dinusha concluded the series with an astonishing 420 runs across four innings, including three centuries. His sequence read 100 and 84 in Galle, followed by 103 in the first innings in Colombo and a further hundred in the second innings on Day 5. He became the first Sri Lankan to register two centuries in the same Test against India while batting at No. 6 or lower.
After India enforced the follow-on—bowling Sri Lanka out for 290 in the first innings—Dinusha joined forces with Keshara Nuwantha on Day 5 to add 111 runs for the seventh wicket. By tea, Sri Lanka had reached 383 for 8, holding a 170-run lead, before the match was called off as a draw shortly after.
How the Colombo Test Unfolded
Dinusha’s aggregate placed him in elite company. He became only the third Sri Lankan to score three centuries in a two-match Test series, joining Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, and Angelo Mathews as countrymen to hit consecutive Test tons against India. He also entered a select global club as just the third batter to score 80-plus in each of his first three Test innings versus India, emulating Everton Weekes and Zaheer Abbas, the latter having achieved the feat 48 years earlier.
