I don’t think we could have done anything differently. Keeping the weather in mind, we could talk about these things (enforcing follow-on) only in hindsight. India dominated large stretches of the contest and were in a commanding position to force a result, but Sonal stood firm in the second innings, producing another resolute hundred to help Sri Lanka survive 154 overs and walk away with a draw that felt no less than a win for the visitors. “We fielded for about 150 overs, we did everything that we can.
India skipper Shubman Gill reckoned “Test cricket won” after Sri Lanka produced a stirring rearguard action to help the hosts to a draw in the second match, with Sonal Dinusha’s second century of the game denying the visitors victory.
But it was a brilliant game and I think Test cricket won today,” Gill said after the match on Thursday. “You take the best decision you can in the moment and something didn’t go our way. “A lot of positives for us, learning from the opposition. The way they came back, it was tremendous to see. I don’t think we could have done things differently. They bowled brilliantly in this game. Gill also opened up about India’s World Test Championship (WTC) Final chances after the draw. “You always want to play and represent your country. I am happy to score runs, doesn’t matter at which position I score those runs . It’s important that the team wins. A lot of work to do, it’s a young side, everyone is really hungry. I am sure we will continue to improve. For Sonal, named Player of the Match, the twin-century outing was a reward for preparation and perseverance, with the batter also crediting the lower order for helping him get across the line.
Padikkal, who was named Player of the Series, admitted India would have preferred to finish with a win but said the team had plenty to learn from the contest.
