Who Is Sonal Dinusha? Sri Lanka’s New Star Joins Rare List With Historic Numbers Against India

Sonal Dinusha’s dream start against India is becoming one of the defining stories of the two-Test series. After scores of 100 and 84 in Galle, the Sri Lankan left-hander produced another century in Colombo, taking his sequence to an extraordinary 100, 84 and 103 in his first three innings of the series.

His latest hundred also helped him enter multiple exclusive statistical clubs.

Dinusha joins Sri Lankan greats with consecutive hundreds

With centuries in consecutive Tests against India, Dinusha has joined a select group of Sri Lankan batters who have achieved the feat. The list is headed by Aravinda de Silva, who scored three hundreds against India in 1997, while Kumar Sangakkara also registered three across the 2009-10 period.

Dinusha is now alongside Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, Tharanga Paranavitana and Angelo Mathews, all of whom scored hundreds in two consecutive Tests against India. For a player at the beginning of his Test journey, finding himself in such company underlines the scale of his achievement.

SL batters with hundreds in consecutive Tests against India

3 - Aravinda de Silva (1997) (four hundreds across three games)
3 - Kumar Sangakkara (2009-2010)
2 - Sanath Jayasuriya (1997)
2 - Mahela Jayawardene (2001)
2 - Tharanga Paranavitana (2010)
2 - Angelo Mathews (2015)
2 - Sonal Dinusha (2026)

His numbers become even more striking when viewed through the wider history of Test cricket. Dinusha is now among the batters to score two centuries in their first two Tests against India, joining Everton Weekes, Garfield Sobers, Zaheer Abbas, Duleep Mendis, Robin Smith, Gary Kirsten and Jesse Ryder.

Multiple Test hundreds in first two Tests vs India

2 - Everton Weekes (WI, 1948)
2 - Garfield Sobers (WI, 1958)
2 - Zaheer Abbas (PAK, 1978)
2 - Duleep Mendis (SL, 1982)
2 - Robin Smith (ENG, 1990)
2 - Gary Kirsten (SA, 1996)
2 - Jesse Ryder (NZ, 2009)
2 - Sonal Dinusha (SL, 2026)

Earlier in the series, he had already become only the third batter to score 80 or more in each of his first three Test innings against India, after Weekes and Abbas. The fact that Abbas was the previous player to achieve that particular feat 48 years ago highlights just how rare Dinusha’s consistency has been.

Who is Sonal Dinusha?

Born in Colombo on December 4, 2000, Dinusha is a left-handed batter and slow left-arm orthodox bowler, primarily regarded as a bowling all-rounder. He made his Test debut in 2025 and had shown his potential in Sri Lanka A cricket before establishing himself at the senior level.

His domestic and Sri Lanka A performances had already hinted at his all-round ability, but this series has introduced him to a much wider audience. Across his first three innings of the ongoing series against India, he has piled up 287 runs at an average of more than 140, with two hundreds and an 84.

Also Check: India vs Sri Lanka 2nd Test

While India remain in control of the second Test, Dinusha has been Sri Lanka’s standout performer with the bat. It would be interesting to see if he produces another remarkable knock in Sri Lanka's 2nd innings as the Indian side has enforced the follow-on.