IND Vs SL: Shubman Gill Says ‘Test Cricket Won’ As Sonal Dinusha’s Twin Tons Deny India Victory

India may have missed out on a series sweep, but Shubman Gill believes the second Test against Sri Lanka delivered exactly what Test cricket is supposed to offer, a contest that went down to the final day.

Sri Lanka held India to a draw at the SSC on Thursday after Sonal Dinusha followed his first-innings hundred with another unbeaten century, producing a remarkable defensive effort to save the match.

The hosts batted for more than 150 overs in their second innings, frustrating an Indian attack that had spent long periods on the field.

IND vs SL 2nd Test Day 5 Highlights

India had been in a strong position to force a result, but the weather threat and Sri Lanka's stubborn resistance ultimately worked against the visitors. Gill, however, refused to second-guess his team's decisions.

"Honestly, nothing. We fielded for about 250 overs, three days consecutively, and we did everything we can. They played brilliantly. The batters played really well, and they had a lot of skill and a little bit of luck going their way. So I don't think we could have done anything differently," Gill said after the match.

The India captain was also asked about enforcing the follow-on, a decision that became a talking point after Sri Lanka managed to survive the final day.

"In hindsight, you can think, okay, if enforcing the follow-on was the right decision. But keeping the weather and everything in mind, we weren't sure if there was going to be a full day of game on Day 5. You can only talk about these things in hindsight. When you're in that moment, you try to take the best decision you can," Gill said.

"Some of the things don't go our way, but that's totally fine. This is a game of cricket, and I think in the end, Test cricket won today."

Gill also praised Sri Lanka for the manner in which they recovered after being placed under sustained pressure, while highlighting India's own emerging talent.

"A lot of positives for us, even learning from the opposition. The position that they were under, under immense pressure, and the way they came back was tremendous to see," he said.

"Padikkal was brilliant, KL was really good, Manav bowled brilliantly, and Prasidh in both the innings bent their backs, both the fast bowlers. So I think we did everything we can."

Among the players to catch Gill's eye was young spinner Manav Suthar, who made an impression with his consistency throughout the series.

"Everything, how consistent he is and how well he releases the ball, and how the ball goes off from his wrist, from his fingers. He's a very pleasing bowler to see, and I think he's going to be someone who's going to be very, very crucial for us in the upcoming years," Gill said.

India's next major assignment will be the tour of New Zealand in November, followed by a home series. Gill remains hopeful that India can put themselves in contention for the World Test Championship final.

"We are going to New Zealand in November, so that's a good series for us, and then we've got a good home series coming. Hopefully, if we have a good New Zealand series, as long as we have a chance, we always keep believing, and hopefully we'll make it to the finals," he said.

Padikkal reflects on impressive comeback

Devdutt Padikkal's return to Test cricket proved highly productive, with the batter earning the Player of the Series award.

While pleased with his individual contribution, Padikkal admitted that India's preference would have been to finish the series with another victory.

"Yeah, it feels great. Again, it would have been better if we got the win in this game as well. But at the end of the day, I'm happy that I could contribute," Padikkal said.

The left-hander found the SSC conditions comparable to those in Galle and said batting on slow surfaces required patience and a clearly defined game plan.

"I think it was quite similar, to be honest. Not much change. It was pretty slow here as well. But at the end of the day, the batters got better at playing on such surfaces, and I think that showed in the last couple of days," he said.

"It takes a lot of clarity. You need to have clear plans when you go out there. There's been a lot of chat back in the dressing room about how we want to play spin, how we want to tackle spin. Everyone came with their own plans, and I think the way the batsmen applied themselves showed out there."

Padikkal was also reluctant to make the conversation about securing India's No. 3 position.

"Honestly, I'm just happy to score runs. It doesn't matter where I do it. It can be at number 3, it can be anywhere else. It doesn't matter. For me, it's important that the team wins, and as long as I'm contributing to those wins, I'm happy," he said.

The batter acknowledged that India's young batting unit still has considerable room for development.

"Lots of work to do. As you can see, it's a very young side. It's important that we continue to learn. There's a lot of evolving left to do in every single one of us, and I think everyone is really hungry and looking forward to doing that," Padikkal said.

Dinusha's preparation pays off

While India had plenty of positives to take away, Sri Lanka's biggest star was undoubtedly Sonal Dinusha.

After scoring a century in the first innings, Dinusha produced another hundred in the second to become the central figure in Sri Lanka's successful fightback. He was named Player of the Match after an innings built on concentration and discipline.

Dinusha credited his coaching staff, school and provincial coaches, family and friends for helping him prepare for the series.

"Especially our coaching staff. They encouraged me, and my school coaches, my provincial coaches, my family and my friends as well. They helped me a lot," he said.

"I had an idea about the turning wicket as well. I did some quality sessions, and that's the thing that helped me get runs."

His second-innings century would not have been possible without support from Sri Lanka's lower order, something Dinusha was quick to acknowledge.

"I would like to mention the tailenders. They batted really well, and that helped me to really get runs as well. I tried to do my best, reading the situation," he said.

Dinusha's three centuries across the two-Test series also placed him among an exclusive group of Sri Lankan batters to achieve the feat against India. He finished the series with 420 runs.

"Personally, I'm very happy about that. But when the team is down, I wanted to get runs for the team. That's the only thing I did. I'm really happy at the end of the day," he said.

"Getting runs against India is a pleasure as a player. Fantastic."

Dhananjaya backs Sri Lanka's youngsters

Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva was delighted by the emergence of young players during the series and credited the selectors and coaching staff for giving them opportunities.

"It's all about finding the talent for the future Sri Lanka cricket. I think the selectors and coach gave me that opportunity to get the youngsters in and let them freely go and do their job for the country," he said.

The return of senior players from injury could now create selection headaches for the team, but Dhananjaya sees that as a positive development.

"That's a good headache to have. Three guys who were playing continuously have a comeback and knock the door again. So, yeah, that's a good headache," he said.

Dhananjaya also pinpointed a moment from the first Test that he felt could have altered the series result.

"Maybe in the second innings in Galle, I would have maybe batted a bit longer. That's the point where they got into the game and they won the series," he said.

India therefore leave Sri Lanka with a 1-0 series victory, while the hosts can take immense confidence from the way they fought back to save the second Test.

The match may have ended without a winner, but Sri Lanka's resistance ensured the series finale had plenty of drama before the two teams headed into the presentation ceremony.