Friday Sep 18, 2026
Friday Sep 18, 2026
Tuesday, 18 August 2026 10:19 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Sa’adi Thawfeeq reporting from Galle
GALLE: Sonal Dinusha’s maiden Test hundred and Niroshan Dickwella’s 23rd Test fifty stood out in Sri Lanka’s first innings of 284 on the third day of the first cricket Test against India at the Galle International Cricket Stadium yesterday.
Dinusha and Dickwella were involved in a determined partnership of 146 for the sixth wicket that not only frustrated the Indian bowling but also ensured they crossed the follow-on deficit and made India bat again.
With dark clouds and bad light preventing India from commencing their second innings, the day ended with Sri Lanka still on the back foot as they trailed by 178 runs with two days left in the match. Their only hope is for further interruptions from the weather in the remaining days.
India would have been slightly disappointed to let Sri Lanka recover from 59-4 to their final total. Dickwella rode his luck and played a breezy knock of 80 off 115 balls (7 fours) missing out on a maiden Test hundred for the 98th time. He holds the record for the most fifty-plus scores without a hundred in Tests with 23. The next highest is 16 by India’s Chetan Chauhan.
Dinusha showed outstanding composure to play a very mature knock of 100 off 168 balls (4 fours, 2 sixes). The pair denied India a single wicket in the afternoon session as Sri Lanka managed 116 runs off 29 overs scoring at four runs per over. Sri Lanka were in all sorts of trouble in the first session losing five wickets for 99 with the threat of giving India a chance of enforcing the follow-on. But Dinusha and Dickwella threw that thought out of the window with their face-saving stand.
India didn’t declare overnight but the final pair lasted just four deliveries in the morning when play resumed on time. Prasidh Krishna was bounced out by Asitha Fernando edging a catch behind the wicket and India got bowled out for 462.
Mohamed Siraj provided the early breakthrough for India with his second ball as he nipped out Nishan Madushka with a gentle outswinger which the batsman gave catching practice to the slips cordon. Lahiru Udara hit a few boundaries but Dinesh Chandimal never looked comfortable at the crease. He was dismissed by Manav Suthar, who struck with his very first ball.
Udara got a start but failed to convert it into anything substantial. After getting beaten by a sharp turning ball, he was dismissed slicing a cut to backward point. Sri Lanka lost two more wickets in the session with Shubman Gill taking a brilliant catch to dismiss Kamindu Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva knicking Ravindra Jadeja to slip for Sri Lanka to go to lunch tottering at 99-5. Suthar and Kuldeep Yadav got three of the top four after Siraj’s opening burst.
Following a wicketless second session Indian bowlers came back to capture the remaining five Sri Lankan wickets with Suthar landing the final blow in an innings where he only enhanced his reputation. Playing just his second Test, he was arguably the pick of the bowlers finishing with 4/76 off 21.4 overs, alongside veteran Jadeja (3/57).
