India were unable to complete a 2-0 series sweep against Sri Lanka after the second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo ended in a dramatic draw. The visitors had controlled the match for long periods after piling up 503/9 declared in their first innings before bowling Sri Lanka out for 290 and enforcing the follow-on.
However, what followed was a remarkable fightback from the hosts. Sri Lanka’s batters showed far greater determination in their second innings, forcing India to keep searching for wickets as the match moved into its final day. The resistance was led by Sonal Dinusha, who followed his first-innings century with another unbeaten hundred, while Pasindu Sooriyabandara and Kamindu Mendis also made important contributions. With the lower order holding firm, Sri Lanka eventually reached 429/9 to secure a draw.
India dominate early before Sri Lanka are forced to follow on
India made the most of winning the toss and batting first, building a massive total through contributions from several of their key batters. Devdutt Padikkal continued his outstanding form with another century, scoring 117, while Shubman Gill added a valuable 50. Rishabh Pant then provided the acceleration with an attacking 63 before Dhruv Jurel produced another memorable innings. The wicketkeeper-batter scored 115 and played a major role in pushing India beyond the 500-run mark. With the lower order providing enough support, Gill declared at 503/9.
Sri Lanka faced an uphill battle in reply but received important contributions from Pasindu and Sonal. Sooriyabandara scored 80, while Dinusha produced a superb 103 to keep the innings together. India’s bowlers eventually broke through the resistance and dismissed Sri Lanka for 290. Manav Suthar and Prasidh Krishna claimed three wickets each, leaving the hosts 213 runs behind and 13 runs short of the follow-on target. Gill therefore sent Sri Lanka back out to bat, putting India in an excellent position to push for another victory.
Sonal Dinusha and lower order produce remarkable resistance
Sri Lanka’s second innings turned the match into a much more difficult contest for India. Sooriyabandara once again showed his composure at the top of the order, scoring 92, while Kamindu contributed a fighting 55. Their 115-run partnership gave the hosts the stability they needed after another difficult start. As wickets fell, Dinusha once again took responsibility. Having already scored 103 in the first innings, he produced another remarkable century in the second innings and remained unbeaten as Sri Lanka continued to resist.
Dinusha’s twin centuries placed him alongside Sri Lankan greats Duleep Mendis and Aravinda de Silva as the only players from the country to score centuries in both innings of a Test against India. India entered the final day needing four wickets, but Sri Lanka’s tailenders refused to collapse. Despite multiple bowling changes and interruptions, the hosts continued to defend stubbornly until the end. Sri Lanka eventually finished on 429/9, with Dinusha unbeaten, forcing India to settle for a draw. The result gave India a 1-0 series victory, but Sri Lanka’s remarkable resistance ensured the second Test ended on a memorable note.
Here’s how fans reacted:
India win the series 1-0, but Sonal Dinusha’s heroics have saved a famous Test for Sri Lanka in Colombo 💯💥#SLvsIND #SonalDinusha #SriLankaCricket pic.twitter.com/R10vpDmKlL
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) August 27, 2026
Sonal Dinusha shines as Sri Lanka stand firm to earn an epic draw against India 💪#WTC27 | 📝: https://t.co/8NP3Qr1pnQ pic.twitter.com/mP4oRs6fIK
— ICC (@ICC) August 27, 2026
DRAW IN COLOMBO! 🇱🇰🤝 🇮🇳
Sri Lanka declare and the 2nd Test ends in a draw! Incredible resilience from Sonal Dinusha and the tail to hold out.
India take the series 1-0, but massive pride in this team effort!👏 #SLvIND #SriLankaCricket pic.twitter.com/bM9cjO9kri
— Sri Lanka Cricket 🇱🇰 (@OfficialSLC) August 27, 2026
Sonal Dinusha 🙇🙇🙇
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) August 27, 2026
Unbelievable determination and belief shown by Sri Lanka. Series to remember for young Sonal Dinusha not only for the amount of runs he made. His maturity , attitude and character will be something any young cricketer starting his test career would love to have. Disappointing…
— Prasanna (@prasannalara) August 27, 2026
INDIA VS SRI LANKA 2ND TEST ENDS IN A DRAW.
– India seals the series 1-0. 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/LlZlSLVYLx
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) August 27, 2026
🚨 INDIA WON THE TEST SERIES IN SRI LANKA 🇮🇳
– Colombo Test ended in a draw. pic.twitter.com/P0l5qXwX7W
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) August 27, 2026
India’s Last 7 Tests in Srilanka
2015 – India won by 278 runs
2015 – India won by 117 runs
2017 – India won by 304 runs
2017 – India won by an inngs & 53 runs
2017 – India won by an inngs & 171 runs
2026 – India won by 165 runs
2026 – Match Drawn*No Team has Won 7 Consecutive… pic.twitter.com/MGaWm3yo8b
— 𝑺𝒉𝒆𝒃𝒂𝒔 (@Shebas_10dulkar) August 27, 2026
#SLvIND 2nd Test drawn.
India win the series 1-0Honestly, both teams takeaway positives from the series.
Given Ind batsmen are notorious vs spin, I feared they may lose a Test. Padikkal & co. did well to avoid a collapse.
SL, with all the injuries, will take 0-1 vs IND.
— Ajay Srinivasan (@Ajaychairman) August 27, 2026
Sonal Dinusha scored his third century of the series and his second of the match against India.
After India enforced the follow-on, Sri Lanka found themselves in a precarious position, but Dinusha rose to the occasion with a magnificent, match-saving innings to rescue his team… pic.twitter.com/XfeuYVkYrr
— Tariq Khan (@_TariqKhan) August 27, 2026
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