Updated WTC Points Table After India vs Sri Lanka 2nd Test Ends In A Draw And How It Affects Shubman Gill And Co.
It was a frustrating day for the Shubman Gill-led Indian cricket team in the second Test against Sri Lanka. Coming into Day 5, nobody predicted the fight that Sonal Dinusha and Co. would conjure to keep India at bay
- India remain fifth in World Test Championship with five wins and two draws in 11 Tests
- Sonal Dinusha scored an unbeaten 133 off 264 balls to frustrate India
- After the second Test ended in a draw, India clinched the series 1-0
It was a frustrating day for the Shubman Gill-led Indian cricket team in the second Test against Sri Lanka. Coming into Day 5, nobody predicted the fight that Sonal Dinusha and Co. would conjure to keep India at bay. At stumps on Day 4, India had put itself in a winning position in the second Test on Wednesday by restricting Sri Lanka in its second innings after enforcing the follow-on. India batted first after winning the toss at the Sinhalese Sports Club and scored a massive 503/9 declared, then bowled Sri Lanka out for 290. Having been forced to follow on, Sri Lanka reached 229/6 to lead by only 16 runs on Day 4.
Sonal Dinusha was once again India's tormentor-in-chief as he scored 133* off 264 balls. That innings ruined India's hopes of a win.
With the draw, India remained in fifth spot in the World Test Championship points table. India now have five wins and two draws in 11 Tests. They have a win percentage of 51.52 (before the match India had a win-percentage of 53.33). Australia (80), South Africa (75), New Zealand (72.22) and Bangladesh (55.56) are above India. Sri Lanka (33.33) are sixth.
India have seven Tests remaining (two against New Zealand and five against Australia) after the Sri Lanka series. In those seven, India have to win at least five matches and hope other results go their way.
A cramping Sonal Dinusha's bloody-mindedness blunted the Indian bowlers on Day 5 of the second Test as a defiant Sri Lanka frustrated India.
It was an unimaginable situation once the hosts resumed the day from 229/6, a mere 16 runs ahead. India were expected to walk through the remaining Sri Lankan batters, but first they hit a roadblock in the form of the Dinusha-Keshara Nuwantha (46, 150b) partnership.
The seventh-wicket alliance produced 112 runs but, more importantly, consumed 174 minutes and 246 balls.
Their effort ensured that the Indian bowlers added one more chapter to their age-old struggles against lower-order batters. The pacers did try some short-ball and leg-side bowling tactics, but they appeared largely flat throughout the session.
Spinners Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain and Ravindra Jadeja managed to get some turn and bounce on occasions, but the ball eluded the bat to the tourists' dismay.
In Sri Lanka's first innings of 290, the last three wickets had batted 45 overs between them while adding 117 runs.
But the numbers tell only half the tale, as Dinusha continued to be a thorn in India's flesh, a term used by spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule at the end of the fourth day here.
The little left-hander produced his fourth 50-plus score in as many innings in this series as the Indians might just seriously consider writing a calypso for him: 'We Couldn't Out Dinusha.'
India Cricket Team
Sri Lanka Cricket Team