The second match of the Test series between India and Sri Lanka in Colombo has concluded in a draw. On the final day of the match, Team India needed to bowl out Sri Lanka in their second innings to claim victory, while sri Lanka had only 4 wickets remaining, while the team was ahead by a mere 16 runs. However, Sonal Dinusha once again became a hurdle in India's path and scored his third century of the series. His centurion knock snatched the opportunity of victory from India. Nevertheless, Team India won the Test series 1-0. This marks the third consecutive occasion that India has won a Test series in Sri Lanka.
Dinusha's Record Third Century
At the Singhalese Sports Club (SSC) ground in Colombo, Team India had a golden opportunity to win the match on the final day. All eyes were on whether rain would play spoilsport. However, what happened on the field was contrary to all expectations, estimates, and claims, while not a single drop of rain fell throughout the day, yet the Indian bowlers were unable to take the remaining Sri Lankan wickets. Sri Lanka batted for approximately 82 overs throughout the day, scoring exactly 200 runs and losing only 3 wickets. The match was declared a draw after Sri Lanka reached a total of 429 runs.
The hero of this draw for Sri Lanka proved to be left-handed batsman Sonal Dinusha, who scored centuries in both innings of the match. In both innings, he came to the crease under difficult circumstances and improved the team's position by scoring centuries. After scoring 103 runs in the first innings, Sonal Dinusha batted throughout the day this time and took the match to a draw with an unbeaten innings of 132 runs, saving Sri Lanka from the embarrassment of a 0-2 defeat at home. This was Sonal's third century in this Test series, and he became only the third Sri Lankan to score 3 centuries in a 2-match series.
These Two Batsmen Proved Costly for Team India
Apart from Dinusha, those 20 overs also proved costly for Team India, which were played by two batsmen from whom such performance wasn't expected. These two batsmen were Prabath Jayasuriya and Lahiru Kumara. The day began with the pair of Sonal Dinusha and Keshara Nuwantha, who brought Sri Lanka back into the game with a partnership of 112 runs. However, as soon as this partnership broke, a ray of hope emerged for India. At the time Keshara was out, Sri Lanka was only 117 runs ahead, so Team India needed to take the last 3 wickets quickly.
But first Prabath Jayasuriya and then Lahiru Kumara didn't let this happen. Prabath faced 28 balls and shared a 25-run partnership with Dinusha. But more important than the runs was that both didn't let a wicket fall for 12 overs. An even bigger role was played by the 10th-ranked batsman Lahiru Kumara. This batsman kept India away from victory by batting alone for 90 balls, which is 15 overs. In this way, Lahiru and Prabath together batted for 118 balls, which is about 20 overs. In the end, Asitha Fernando also faced 24 balls and forced Team India to settle for a draw.