India Vs Sri Lanka Highlights, 2nd Test Day 5: Sonal Dinusha's Terrific Resistance Forces Visitors To Settle For Draw

Hello, we’re back with another live blog for the fifth and final day of the second Test between India and Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka will resume with four wickets in hand and a 16-run lead, while India will be eager to wrap up the innings quickly and push for victory. Stay tuned for all the live updates, key moments and action from Day 5!

The 2nd Test between India and Sri Lanka will be telecast live on the Star Sports Network and will be streamed live on the Sony LIV app and website in India. The live action of Day 5 will begin at 09:45 AM IST.

India enforced the follow-on after bowling Sri Lanka out for 290, but the hosts showed much better fight in their second innings. Pasindu Sooriyabandara fell for 92 after a crucial stand with Kamindu Mendis, who made 55, before India struck late to leave Sri Lanka at 229/6. Rain then brought an early end to the day, with Sri Lanka holding a slender 16-run lead. India need just four wickets on Day 5 to wrap up the Test and complete the series win.

Mitchell Starc is the new king of Test bowling! The Australian pacer has overtaken Jasprit Bumrah to claim the No.1 spot in the latest ICC Test bowling rankings for the first time in his career. Starc's stunning 10-wicket haul against Bangladesh in the second Test in Mackay propelled him to the top, while Bumrah slipped to second amid his absence from India's ongoing series against Sri Lanka.

It’s a bright start to Day 5 in Colombo as the players take the field. Saransh Jain is back to complete his over, with India immediately attacking, a slip, leg slip and forward short leg all in place.

Sri Lanka’s lower order has continued to frustrate India on Day 5, with Keshara Nuwantha and Sonal Dinusha showing plenty of resistance after the top and middle order collapsed. The pair have dug in to take Sri Lanka to 267/6, extending their lead and making India work hard for the remaining four wickets. With both batters settling in and the ball getting older, India are still searching for the breakthrough that could quickly expose the tail.

Troubling scenes for India in Colombo! Sri Lanka’s lower order has continued to dig in, with Keshara Nuwantha and Sonal Dinusha frustrating the visitors in a stubborn seventh-wicket stand. The pair have taken Sri Lanka to 306/6, stretching their lead to 93 runs and putting India under increasing pressure. With both batters well set and the lead growing, India desperately need a breakthrough before Sri Lanka turn this into a much tougher chase.

That was arguably Sri Lanka’s best session of the series. India began the day needing just four wickets, but Sonal Dinusha and Keshara Nuwantha had other ideas. The pair batted through the entire session without losing a wicket, adding a century partnership for the seventh wicket and taking Sri Lanka’s lead from 16 to 116 runs. Dinusha has brought up another half-century, his fourth 50-plus score of the series, while Nuwantha remains unbeaten on 46 and is closing in on his maiden Test fifty. At 329/6, Sri Lanka are now in a position to dictate terms heading into the post-lunch session.

Welcome back for the post-lunch session! Sri Lanka resume in a strong position after a wicketless morning, with Sonal Dinusha and Keshara Nuwantha continuing their impressive seventh-wicket resistance. The pair will be high on confidence as India search desperately for a breakthrough. Kumar Suthar has the ball in hand to begin the session.

Breakthrough straight after lunch! Manav Suthar strikes in his very first over of the session, ending the stubborn 112-run seventh-wicket stand. Keshara Nuwantha, who had battled hard for his 46, gets a thick edge to second slip, where Dhruv Jurel completes a simple catch. India finally have the wicket they desperately wanted, and Sri Lanka are now 330/7.

Jadeja keeps it slightly short and wide outside off, and Sonal Dinusha pounces on the room. He cuts it away neatly into the off-side and picks up a single. Sri Lanka keep the scoreboard ticking.

Saransh Jain tosses this one up around off, and Lahiru Kumara gets across nicely to meet it with a compact defensive stroke. He plays it safely into the pitch and there’s no run on offer. Jain finishes the over with another dot.

Saransh Jain slows it up and gives the ball plenty of flight around off. Lahiru Kumara stays deep in his crease, gets right behind the delivery and blocks it solidly. Jain keeps Kumara quiet with another dot ball.

Saransh Jain ends the over with a beauty! He tosses it up on off, drawing Sonal Dinusha forward, before the ball grips, turns away and bounces sharply. It beats Dinusha’s outside edge, leaving him stranded as the ball flies through to Rishabh Pant. A teasing delivery to finish the over, and no run added.

Prasidh Krishna finds the perfect length, shaping this one just outside off. Lahiru Kumara is tempted into a poke away from his body, but the ball sneaks past the outside edge. Beaten! Prasidh has Kumara playing and missing, and Sri Lanka remain unable to add to the total.

Sonal Dinusha is just three runs away from a century! Saransh Jain drifts this one down the leg side, and Dinusha gets low, rolls his wrists and sweeps it firmly behind square. He beats the fielder in the deep and races away for four. Dinusha moves to 97*, and the hundred is now tantalisingly close!

Sri Lanka have turned the match on its head by reaching 383/8 at tea on Day 5, stretching their lead to 170 runs after being forced to follow on. Sonal Dinusha is unbeaten on 97 and closing in on his third century of the series, while Keshara Nuwantha’s 112-run seventh-wicket stand with him gave the hosts a crucial lift before India struck twice.

Lahiru Kumara has since dug in alongside Dinusha, frustrating India with disciplined defence on a pitch offering little assistance. With 38 overs remaining, Sri Lanka are firmly in control and India now face a near-impossible task of forcing a win in the final session.

Sonal Dinusha reaches 100 in style! Mohammed Siraj bowls it full, and Dinusha flicks it into the gap at mid-wicket to collect two and bring up a remarkable century. He becomes only the third Sri Lankan to score three centuries in a two-Test series. Helmet off, bat raised, Dinusha soaks in the applause as his teammates stand up to applaud him, with his mother watching proudly from the stands. What a series this has been for the young batter!

Jadeja gives it some air outside off, and Sonal Dinusha brings out the reverse sweep, guiding it towards deep backward point for a single. That takes Sri Lanka past the 400-run mark - a massive effort from the hosts after being forced to follow on.

With a draw all but certain, the final stretch of the match sees a lighthearted passage of play as part-time bowlers were brought into the attack. Shubman Gill rolled his arm over in the 150th over, conceding 7 runs which included a massive pull for six over deep mid-wicket by Sonal Dinusha.

Yashasvi Jaiswal then took off his shin pads to bowl the 151st over, immediately getting greeted by two consecutive boundaries. Dinusha first swept/lapped a delivery fine to the leg-side fence before flashing hard at a shortish ball outside off, getting an outside edge that flew over the slip cordon.

As the players prepare to shake hands, the scorecard stands at 418-9, still going on due to the magnificent Sonal Dinusha's brilliant, fighting knock of 122 off 253 balls, alongside Asitha Fernando holding firm on 0 off 17.

Sri Lanka and India have officially shaken hands on a draw after a resilient, rearguard masterclass in Colombo. Following the handshake, Indian players warmly greeted Sonal Dinusha to congratulate him on his heroic effort. The young batter was met with a round of applause and celebratory hugs from head coach Gary Kirsten, captain Dhananjaya de Silva, and his teammates after a truly unforgettable knock.

India completely dominated the opening couple of days with the bat, piling up a mammoth 503 before their bowlers secured a commanding 213-run first-innings lead and enforced the follow-on. Sonal Dinusha had already notched up a century in the first innings, alongside Pasindu Sooriyabandara’s resilient 80.

When the follow-on was enforced, it was the exact same duo that rose to the occasion. Sooriyabandara anchored a brilliant 92, while Dinusha continued his sublime run of form to record his third century of the series—the most by any batter. Keshara Nuwantha also played a vital role across both innings, displaying immense composure to provide steady support from the other end.

After the fall of the sixth wicket, Sri Lanka's lower-order dug in with extraordinary determination, collectively spending nearly 90 overs at the crease. That stubborn resistance ultimately convinced Sri Lanka against declaring, unwilling to give India a chance to chase on a pitch that remained heavily conducive to batting right down to the final session.