How Sonal Dinusha Punctured India's Spin Bubble At Colombo With Sweep Masterclass

Sonal Dinusha single-handedly saved the second Test against India in Colombo, securing a draw. India won the series overall after their victory in the opener in Galle.

The five-Test old all-rounder scored 420 runs across the two-Test series. He averaged a remarkable 140, scoring three hundreds. Two of these centuries came during the attritional second Test.

Immediately after the match, Dinusha called his trusted coach Ashan Priyanjan. He scheduled training for Friday to prepare for a T20 league in the first week of September and a Major League 50-over match on August 31 for the club.

"That's ok sir. The series is over, now I want to make the club win those matches," Dinusha told Priyanjan, as the coach recounted.

Mastering The Sweep

Before the series began, Dinusha contacted Priyanjan to plan his strategy. "He said 'Sir, India has all varieties of spinners. Need to prepare well'," Priyanjan told. This led to hours of intense sweep and reverse sweep practice at the Colombo Cricket Club (CCC).

He successfully countered Indian left-arm spinners Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, and off-spinner Saransh Jain. Dinusha scored 173 of his 420 runs exclusively via sweeps. This performance broke Joe Root's record of 160 runs scored against spin using the sweep shot in a single Test series.

His proficiency against spin stems from early training. Priyanjan advised him at age 11 or 12 at CCC that mastering the sweep shot was essential for success in Asian conditions. Following this advice, Dinusha instituted two-hour daily sweep drills.

Penury To Captaincy

Dinusha grew up in severe financial distress. His sister borrowed money to purchase his very first cricket bat. Today, professional cricket serves as the sole source of income for his family, Priyanjan told.

He originally played basketball as a child. De La Salle school coach Susantha Felix Dias noticed him playing casually and drafted him into the cricket team.

At just 25, Dinusha now captains the CCC. He leads senior international players, including Dhananjaya de Silva, Kamindu Mendis, Vishwa Fernando, and Asitha Fernando.

Maturity And Grit

His development continued at Mahanama College under coach Sonal Dulshan Alwalage, now a Level 2 coach with Sri Lanka Cricket. At age 19, Dinusha scored 159 against Richmond College. He demonstrated immense maturity during this innings by carefully guarding his tail-end partners.

He loves to stay at the crease and play long innings. He takes a lot of joy in batting... He showed a lot of maturity while rotating the strike, picking his bowlers and slots in the field to score runs. The way he guarded tail-end batsmen in that innings was amazing." That exact temperament was on full display in Colombo as he shielded the tail to secure a famous draw". Alwalage recalled.

He replicated this skill in the second Test against India. Dinusha stitched decisive late-order partnerships with batters Keshara Nuwantha, Prabath Jayasuriya, and Lahiru Kumara to save the match.

During Sri Lanka A's tour of Australia, Dinusha initially struggled against short balls from Australian quicks Mitchell Perry, Liam Scott, and Henry Thornton at Darwin. He approached former Sri Lankan batter and coach Avishka Gunawardene to request extra throw-down sessions. He responded by scoring 105 and 88 in the subsequent unofficial Tests.

Now a respected leader and CCC captain, Dinusha's relentless work ethic remains unchanged. Highlighting his insatiable appetite for the game right after his career-defining series against India, Priyanjan concluded: "Immediately after the Test match he called me. He wanted to come to training on Friday at the CCC because he wants to play in a T20 league in the first week of September and a Major League 50-over match on August 31 for the club. I told him to take a few days rest after such a big Test series against India. He said: 'That's ok sir. The series is over, now I want to make the club win those matches'."

(Using PTI Inputs)