Colombo [Sri Lanka], August 27 (ANI): Indian skipper Shubman Gill praised Sri Lanka batter Sonal Dinusha for his disciplined batting and ability to score consistently with sweeps and reverse sweeps throughout the two-match Test series between the two nations.
Gill said India tried various plans, including rotating the strike and attacking Dinusha with pace, but the batter's solid defence and the lack of pace in the pitch made him difficult to dismiss.
He also noted that Dinusha rarely offered even a half-chance during his determined knocks.
Dinusha's resilient knock of unbeaten 133 helped Sri Lanka secure a draw against India, while he also became the third Sri Lankan batter to score three centuries in a two-match Test series.
However, India won the two-match Test series 1-0, after the visitors secured a 165-run win in the Galle Test.
"We saw that he scored a lot of runs square of the wicket, particularly with his sweeps and reverse sweeps, so we tried to place fielders accordingly. Every time he came in to bat, he found himself batting with a tail-ender or a lower-order batsman. Even in the first innings of the first Test, our plan was to rotate the strike and try to get the other batter out. But when the other batsman isn't looking to attack at all, you have to keep changing your plans," Gill told the reporters after the match.
"We then tried to put him under pressure and make him take risks, and he still managed to score runs. He played really well. His defence was solid, and he played some excellent sweep shots. In this match, I don't think even a half-chance went anywhere near a fielder," he said.
"We thought we could challenge him with fast bowling, but the wicket simply didn't have enough pace. When someone like Prasidh is bowling consistently at 135-140 kph and the batters can defend his bouncers comfortably, it tells you that there wasn't enough pace in the surface to keep challenging them with that approach," he concluded.
Dinusha finished the two-Test series against India with impressive numbers, scoring 420 runs in four innings at an average of 140.00. His highest score in the series was 133*, and he recorded three centuries and one fifty across the two matches. He was also the highest run-getter of the series.
Coming to the match, Sri Lanka staged a remarkable comeback to force a draw against India in the second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo on Thursday, with Sonal Dinusha playing a match-saving unbeaten knock of 133.
India had enforced the follow-on after taking a 213-run first-innings lead, but Sri Lanka fought back strongly to finish at 429/9 in 154 overs in their second innings. The result meant India won the two-match series 1-0 after securing a 165-run victory in the first Test. (ANI)
"He played really well; his defence was solid": Gill hails Dinusha's grit as Sri Lanka hold India to draw in 2nd Test
