Sonal Dinusha continued his outstanding Test series against India with another fighting century, but his effort was not enough to save Sri Lanka from the follow-on in the second Test in Colombo.
After posting 503/9 declared in their first innings, India bowled Sri Lanka out for 290 to take a commanding 213-run lead. With rain remaining a major factor in Colombo, captain Shubman Gill decided to enforce the follow-on and give his bowlers another opportunity to push for an innings victory.
Sonal Dinusha Century Against India Keeps Sri Lanka Fighting
Dinusha has been the biggest positive for Sri Lanka in this series. After scoring 100 and 84 in the opening Test in Galle, the left-hander once again stood between India and a quick finish in Colombo.
Sri Lanka kept losing wickets at regular intervals, but Dinusha showed patience against pace and looked confident against the Indian spinners. His sweep shot was once again an important part of his batting against Ravindra Jadeja, Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain.
Even before completing his latest hundred, Dinusha had become only the third batter after Everton Weekes and Zaheer Abbas to register scores of 80 or more in each of his first three Test innings against India.
His back-to-back Test centuries against India have made him one of the most exciting names to emerge from this Sri Lankan side.
Keshara Nuwantha and Lahiru Kumara Provide Valuable Support
One of the biggest reasons Sri Lanka managed to get close to the follow-on mark was the support Dinusha received from the lower order.
Keshara Nuwantha played a very important defensive innings of 18 from 74 balls. More importantly, he and Dinusha added 57 runs for the eighth wicket, forcing India to work hard for the breakthrough.
Nuwantha was eventually dismissed by Manav Suthar after trying to play an attacking drive. Saransh Jain completed the catch at mid-off.
Lahiru Kumara then showed excellent resistance for a No. 10 batter. By the end of Day 3, he had made only eight runs but faced 50 deliveries, spending 65 minutes at the crease. Dinusha and Kumara had already added 35 runs for the ninth wicket by that stage.
The runs were not the most important part of Kumara’s innings. It was the number of deliveries he survived. With Dinusha scoring at the other end, Kumara’s job was simply to stay there, and he made the Indian bowlers work extremely hard.
The resistance from Nuwantha and Kumara gave Dinusha enough time to take his innings towards another hundred.
Pasindu Sooriyabandara Also Impresses With 80
Dinusha was not the only Sri Lankan batter who fought hard. Pasindu Sooriyabandara played an impressive innings of 80 from 133 balls, hitting nine fours.
He was involved in an 87-run partnership with Kamindu Mendis, who scored 32, after Sri Lanka had lost early wickets. Sooriyabandara looked comfortable against both pace and spin before Ravindra Jadeja eventually bowled him.
However, Sri Lanka could not build enough partnerships around these individual efforts to get past the follow-on mark.
Prasidh Krishna and Manav Suthar Lead India’s Bowling Effort
India’s bowlers had to remain patient on a surface where wickets did not always come easily.
Prasidh Krishna was particularly impressive with the extra bounce he generated. He removed Lahiru Udara and debutant Kamil Mishara before also dismissing Kamindu Mendis, giving India three important wickets.
Manav Suthar also played an important role. The left-arm spinner dismissed Prabath Jayasuriya and captain Dhananjaya de Silva before breaking the frustrating Dinusha-Nuwantha partnership.
His dismissal of Nuwantha was especially important because Sri Lanka’s lower order had started to eat into India’s lead.
Ravindra Jadeja got the crucial wicket of the well-set Sooriyabandara, while Mohammed Siraj removed Niroshan Dickwella for a duck.
Saransh Jain also had to bowl long spells as Sri Lanka’s lower order tried to survive. Although he had to wait for his breakthrough, he kept attacking the batters and was involved in Nuwantha’s dismissal by taking the catch at mid-off.
Why India Enforced the Follow-On
India’s decision to enforce the follow-on was understandable considering the weather in Colombo.
Rain had already affected the third day, with Sri Lanka finishing at 265/8 after bad weather forced an early end. India’s fast-bowling coach Morne Morkel had also indicated that, considering the amount of rain around, India wanted to enforce the follow-on if they secured the required lead.
Sri Lanka needed to reach 304 to bring India’s lead below 200 and avoid the follow-on. However, with the hosts bowled out for 294, India were left with a 209-run first-innings advantage.
Gill therefore had little reason to bat again. With more time potentially being lost to rain, asking Sri Lanka to immediately begin their second innings gave India more time to push for ten wickets and an innings victory.
Sonal Dinusha Emerging as a Star for Sri Lanka
Whatever happens in the Colombo Test, the Sonal Dinusha century against India has once again shown the quality Sri Lanka have found in the left-hander.
India have controlled large parts of both Tests, but Dinusha has consistently been the batter who has made them work for wickets. His ability to bat with the lower order has been particularly impressive.
Back-to-back centuries against a strong Indian attack are a major achievement. More importantly for Sri Lanka, Dinusha has shown the temperament to fight when his team is under pressure.
India remain firmly ahead after taking a 209-run lead and enforcing the follow-on, but Dinusha’s performance has once again been the standout story for Sri Lanka.