Sri Lanka's Sonal Dinusha plays a shot during day five of the second cricket test match between Sri Lanka and India in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026.
com in Colombo: 1139 minutes, 722 balls, 420 runs and three hundreds. Over the last two weeks, Sonal Dinusha accumulated staggering numbers, but the time he spent at the crease will stand the test of time.
It was the major reason why Sri Lanka lived to fight on Day 5 in Galle and Colombo against India. 90/4 and 47/4 in the first Test, followed by 122/4 and 209/4 in the second.
While the scorecard makes for comfortable reading in the final essay in Colombo, the situation there was the trickiest. Sri Lanka needed to play for time — a lot of it.
Two quick wickets in the next few overs meant the 25-year-old was left with just the bowlers for company. He had faced a similar situation in the previous innings, but the stakes were highest on Days 4 and 5 at the SSC, with India desperate for the remaining wickets to enforce a result.
Dinusha came with a plan and stuck to it. He made time his closest ally.
The support from the other end, coupled with tactical brilliance, meant India toiled for over 86 overs but still couldn't get the result they wanted. He consumed time, scored runs and literally swept India out of the contest on the final day of the Test.
The sweep and reverse-sweep were his two strongest shots in the innings that preceded the fourth-innings masterclass, but he looked in maximum control when it mattered most. Shubman Gill was aware of the sweep challenge and covered that region with constant protection for the hit on both sides of the wicket.
But it was Dinusha's smart use of footwork that left the visitors clueless throughout the day. Over 40% of his runs in the series came off sweeps, but his control stood out in Colombo.
With no vicious bite from the surface and LBW and bowled becoming the least expected modes of dismissal, Dinusha feasted and became only the third batter ever to score twin hundreds in a match where his team was asked to follow on. I thought, jeez, this guy can play.
I love the way he plays Test cricket. He thinks about it.
6, with the tail for company, he also became the fifth overall batter to achieve the rare feat. Dinusha's compact game, approach against both spin and pace, and stubbornness made his time against the Indian bowlers difficult throughout the series, establishing him as the best batter across both teams.
