Sonal Dinusha became only the fourth Sri Lankan batter to score 50-plus runs in all four innings of a two-Test series
Against India, Dinusha is only the second batter after Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower to achieve four consecutive 50-plus scores in a Test series
Sri Lanka also recorded only their third 100-plus lead after following on in Test history, thanks to their remarkable fightback in Colombo
Sonal Dinusha’s remarkable consistency against India has placed him alongside some of Sri Lanka’s most accomplished Test batters. The young batter has now registered a 50-plus score in all four innings of a two-Test series, a feat previously achieved for Sri Lanka only by Kumar Sangakkara and Dimuth Karunaratne.
His latest half-century, scored during Sri Lanka’s fightback after being asked to follow on, also helped produce another rare chapter in the country’s Test history.
A Rare Follow-On Fightback for Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka’s resistance in Colombo has also produced a rare follow-on statistic. According to the match records, this is only the third time Sri Lanka have built a lead of more than 100 runs after being asked to follow on in Test cricket.
The previous instance came against England at Lord’s in 2006, when Sri Lanka recovered to score 537/9 and build a 178-run lead before the match ended in a draw. They also managed a 104-run lead against New Zealand in Christchurch in 2014, although the hosts eventually won by eight wickets.
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Against India, Sri Lanka began the final day with only a 16-run advantage and India needing four wickets to finish the innings. Instead, Dinusha and Keshara Nuwantha produced a stubborn century stand for the seventh wicket, helping the hosts move into a position where the possibility of a draw, or even a declaration, became a realistic discussion. Their fightback underlined how dramatically the match had changed after India enforced the follow-on following a 213-run first-innings lead.
Dinusha Matches Sri Lankan Greats and Joins Flower Against India
Dinusha’s contribution was particularly significant because it completed a remarkable four-innings sequence. He became only the fourth Sri Lankan batter to register a 50-plus score in all four innings of a two-Test series, joining Sangakkara, who did it against Bangladesh in 2013 and England in 2014, and Karunaratne, who achieved the feat against South Africa in 2018.
His run against India has been even more eye-catching statistically. Dinusha had already scored successive centuries in the series and added further fifty-plus contributions to complete four consecutive scores of 50 or more. Earlier in the series, he also became only the second Sri Lankan batter after Duleep Mendis to score 50-plus in each of his first three Test innings against India.
Dinusha is also only the second batter to record four 50-plus scores in four innings of a Test series against India, after Zimbabwe great Andy Flower. Flower's extraordinary 2000 series produced scores of 183 not out, 70, 55 and 232 not out, giving him 550 runs in just four innings, a benchmark that remains one of the most remarkable individual performances against India in Test history.
For Sri Lanka, the series may have been dominated by India's control for long periods, but Dinusha's consistency has emerged as one of its defining stories. His ability to repeatedly produce substantial scores, including under pressure after the follow-on, has given Sri Lanka a rare bright spot and placed the 25-year-old alongside some illustrious names in the record books.
