Gautam Gambhir heaped praise on the Indian team for their performance against Sri Lanka in the recently-concluded Test series on Friday, August 28. Gambhir was able to secure his first away series win as India coach as his side made a comeback into the World Test Championship final equation.
Gambhir had many of the players stand up for his side with Devdutt Padikkal scoring two hundreds and amassing 328 runs from three innings. Manav Suthar was the pick of the bowlers for the visitors as he got 16 wickets from three innings.
Gambhir said on X that his side showed character, patience and mental toughness during the series against Sri Lanka.
“Test cricket needs character, patience and mental toughness that’s shown by our boys!” said Gambhir on X.
However, Gambhir had a special shoutout for Sri Lanka’s Sonal Dinusha, who was in sensational form during the two-match series. The southpaw scored 420 runs from four innings and scored twin hundreds in Colombo.
Dinusha performed a rescue act for his side on Day 5 of the Colombo Test, as India were on top and needed just four wickets to bundle out the hosts and secure an easy target.
But Dinusha, alongside Lahiru Kumara, kept India at bay and ensured that Sri Lanka pushed their second-innings total to 429 for nine before declaring, setting India a notional target after taking a 216-run lead. With little time remaining in the Test, the two sides agreed to call it a day, settling for a draw.
Gambhir was happy to see the fight from Dinusha and praised the Sri Lankan batter.
“Special shoutout to Sonal Dinusha for his exceptional performance!” said Dinusha.
HOW INDIA’S WTC CHANCES WERE AFFECTED BY COLOMBO TEST
India’s disappointment in Colombo was about more than failing to close out a Test they had largely controlled. With the World Test Championship race expected to be fiercely competitive, the points dropped in the draw could carry significant consequences later in the cycle.
Victory would have taken India’s points percentage to 63.33 and pushed them past Bangladesh into fourth position. Instead, the draw earned them only four points, leaving them fifth in the standings.
Sonal Dinusha’s unbeaten 133 was at the heart of Sri Lanka’s remarkable resistance. What had appeared to be heading towards a comfortable Indian win gradually became a test of endurance, with the lower order also offering valuable support. Dinusha, however, was the driving force behind the hosts’ belief that they could save the match.
With seven Tests still to play in the current cycle, India have time to recover the lost ground—but they will now need to find those points elsewhere.
– Ends
