India 503 for 9 dec (Padikkal 117, Jurel 115*, Asitha 4-106) drew with Sri Lanka 290 (Dinusha 103, Sooriyabandara 80, Prasidh 3-52, Suthar 3-85) and 429 for 9 dec (Dinusha 133*, Sooriyabandara 92, Jadeja 3-94, Suthar 3-121)
Dinusha had batted for a mixed 426 balls, following up his first-innings 103 with an unbeaten 133 of serene self-possession. Enjoying simply his fifth Check match, Dinusha looked like a batter who is aware of the contours of his sport intimately. This was notably evident in opposition to the spinners, in opposition to whom he used the sweep and all its variants ceaselessly and to nice impact, whereas seldom venturing into strokes outdoors his chosen repertoire for the situations, with drives conspicuously absent for probably the most half on a sluggish pitch that will have rendered them harmful.
Dinusha and Asitha Fernando then batted out 56 balls – the majority of them delivered by part-timers with India conceding that their likelihood was gone – earlier than the handshakes got here out on the first attainable alternative, with a Sri Lankan declaration triggering the final hour. Sri Lanka at that stage had prolonged their lead all the way in which to 216.
India’s spinners did the majority of their work, with Suthar, Jadeja and Saransh Jain every bowling 35-plus overs within the second innings and 55-plus overs within the match. All of them acquired the occasional ball to show sharply and beat the sting comprehensively, however usually these balls did an excessive amount of to truly threaten a wicket. In between, the ball both behaved precisely because the batters anticipated, or did its mischief at a sluggish sufficient tempo for the batters to have the ability to alter. And whereas the odd ball bounced disconcertingly, there have been virtually no cases of low bounce.
With the assistance that this SSC floor had given the seamers within the early a part of the Check match – primarily by way of variable bounce that made the quick ball a viable weapon – seeming to have receded, and fatigue additionally setting in, India solely used their seamers briefly spurts, notably after the second new ball had misplaced its shine. One attainable signal of concern for India was Mohammed Siraj’s speeds, which have been down under the 130kph mark, and had stayed there by way of a lot of the collection.
It was nonetheless Siraj who got here closest to getting the wicket of Dinusha, with a brief ball within the post-lunch session that the left-hander fended vast of quick leg. It wasn’t something like a clear-cut likelihood, although, indicating simply how a lot management Dinusha had all through a complete day’s batting. And all through a triumphant collection that he completed with 419 runs at a median of 139.66.