Gautam Gambhir's ‘special shoutout’ to Sonal Dinusha yet lauds Indian players' character after Colombo draw

Head coach Gautam Gambhir reflected on India ’s 1-0 series win over Sri Lanka while also praising opposition batter Sonal Dinusha for his fighting effort in Colombo. India had a strong chance to complete a 2-0 series sweep after enforcing the follow-on, but Dinusha stood in their way with an unbeaten century. The Indian bowlers needed four wickets on the final day to wrap up the innings and set up a chase, but managed only two. Dinusha’s resistance, along with Asitha Fernando’s support, ensured Sri Lanka avoided defeat as the second Test ended in a draw. Despite missing out on a clean sweep, India returned home with the series victory.

Gambhir praised the character shown by Indian players in a hard-fought Test while singling out Dinusha for his outstanding effort that helped Sri Lanka secure a draw in Colombo.

"Test cricket needs character, patience and mental toughness that’s shown by our boys! Special shoutout to Sonal Dinusha for his exceptional performance!" Gambhir wrote on X.

Dinusha had a phenomenal series, averaging 140 across the two Tests and finishing with 420 runs, including three centuries. Two of those hundreds came in the drawn second Test in Colombo, where he stood firm against India’s attack. Interestingly, 173 of his 420 runs across the Galle and Colombo Tests came through sweep shots.

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Meanwhile, he became only the eighth Sri Lankan batter to score centuries in both innings of a Test, joining an elite list featuring Duleep Mendis, Asanka Gurusinha, Aravinda de Silva, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Kamindu Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva.

India, who declared their first innings at 503/9, enforced the follow-on after bowling Sri Lanka out for 290. The hosts were in deep trouble at 218/6 in their second innings before Dinusha and Keshara Nuwantha dug in to frustrate India and secure a draw. Despite missing out on a 2-0 series win, India retained fifth place in the World Test Championship standings, with Sri Lanka sitting sixth.

India captain Shubman Gill admitted he saw little his team could have done differently after Sri Lanka’s stubborn fightback denied them a 2-0 series sweep, while praising the hosts for the way they battled back.

"I don't think we could have done anything differently," said India skipper Shubman Gill. "A lot of positives for us, learning from the opposition. The way they came back, it was tremendous to see."

Aditya Maheshwari is a Chief Content Producer and sports journalist with over seven years of experience covering the sports beat across formats and platforms. A cricket-first reporter by profession, he also follows football closely and considers it an integral part of his sporting journey. His work is shaped by a strong on-ground understanding of the game and an ability to translate match-day moments into clear, engaging stories that connect with readers across digital audiences.