Sonal Dinusha Unbeaten on 84 as Rain Ends Day Three in Colombo Test

Sonal Dinusha remained unbeaten on 84 on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, as rain forced an early close on day three of the second Test against India at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) in Colombo. The Sri Lankan all-rounder anchored a lower-order fightback that lifted the hosts to 265 for eight, still 238 runs behind India’s first-innings 503 for nine declared but far removed from the eight for two collapse with which they had resumed the morning.

Editor’s note: This article draws on match reporting from PTI via Zee News, Cricket World, and ESPNcricinfo series coverage, August 25, 2026.

Day three at a glance

Detail	Information
Match	India vs Sri Lanka — 2nd Test
Date	Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Venue	Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC), Colombo
Session	Full day three (rain-shortened close)
Dinusha	84 not out (135 balls)
Sri Lanka at stumps	265/8, trailing by 238 runs
Day-three scoring	257 runs, 6 wickets
India 1st innings	Declared 503/9
Key bowling	Prasidh Krishna 3/47, Manav Suthar 3/83

How Dinusha rebuilt Sri Lanka’s innings

Sri Lanka began day three in crisis. After India declared overnight, Manav Suthar and Prasidh Krishna had reduced the hosts to eight for two in just three overs before bad light ended play on August 24. Facing a 495-run deficit at the restart, Sri Lanka needed a long partnership merely to avoid the follow-on.

Pasindu Sooriyabandara and Kamindu Mendis provided the first layer of resistance. Sooriyabandara, on debut, carried his overnight form into a composed 80, while Mendis added 32 and passed 1,500 career Test runs before Ravindra Jadeja held a catch off Krishna shortly before lunch. Sri Lanka reached 130 for four at the interval — still deep in arrears, but no longer staring at immediate collapse.

After lunch, wickets continued to fall around Dinusha. Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, and Prabath Jayasuriya departed as India’s pace-and-spin attack maintained pressure, leaving Sri Lanka 216 for seven by tea. Dinusha had already brought up his half-century from 82 balls, striking three fours and two sixes through a patient first session before accelerating against the spin of Jadeja, Suthar, and debutant Saransh Jain.

The left-hander’s most valuable stand came with Keshara Nuwantha. The pair added 57 runs for the eighth wicket, frustrating India through the afternoon as Dinusha used the sweep effectively and rotated strike against a tiring attack. Nuwantha made 18 before Suthar had him caught by Jain, but Dinusha carried on.

At around 5:00 PM local time, rain began falling over the SSC. Ground staff rushed on the covers as dark clouds gathered and the light deteriorated. Umpires assessed conditions before stumps were called at 5:15 PM, with Dinusha 84 not out and Lahiru Kumara eight not out at the non-striker’s end. Sri Lanka had lost six wickets for 257 runs on the day — their most productive session of the match — yet India still held a commanding lead with only two wickets remaining.

Dinusha’s form in the series

Dinusha’s innings was a continuation of the fight he showed throughout the tour. In the first Test at Galle, the 24-year-old all-rounder scored 184 runs across both innings — Sri Lanka’s highest aggregate in that defeat — proving he could handle India’s spin-heavy attack on turning surfaces.

Dinusha — series context	Detail
Role	Left-handed batting all-rounder, No. 6
Galle aggregate	184 runs (highest for Sri Lanka in the match)
Colombo day three	84 not out (135 balls), 6 fours, 2 sixes
Key partnerships	Stands with Sooriyabandara, Mendis, and Nuwantha

Batting at No. 6 behind captain Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis, Dinusha has become the fulcrum of Sri Lanka’s middle order in coach Gary Kirsten’s rebuild. His ability to absorb pressure against Jadeja and Suthar — the same attack that dismantled Sri Lanka in Galle — made Tuesday’s innings one of the few bright spots in a series where the hosts have struggled to match India’s first-innings totals.

Bowling figures and match position

India’s attack shared the wickets evenly on day three. Krishna finished with three for 47, removing both Kamil Mishara and Mendis in the morning session before returning later in the day. Suthar claimed three for 83, including Nuwantha’s dismissal to break the eighth-wicket stand. Jadeja and Jain applied control through the middle overs without always breaking through — a reflection of Dinusha’s discipline at the crease.

India bowling (Sri Lanka 1st innings, through day 3)	Figures
Prasidh Krishna	3/47
Manav Suthar	3/83
Ravindra Jadeja	Wickets in morning session
Saransh Jain	Debutant off-spinner; held Nuwantha catch

India’s first-innings platform was built on Dhruv Jurel’s unbeaten 115 and Devdutt Padikkal’s second century of the series, with captain Shubman Gill contributing 50. That 503 for nine declared total set the tone for day three: Sri Lanka needed survival first and resistance second. Dinusha delivered the latter even if the 238-run deficit leaves India firmly in control heading into day four.

WTC and series context

The Colombo Test is the series decider in a two-match World Test Championship (WTC) 2025–27 fixture. India lead 1–0 after a 165-run win in Galle and entered the SSC Test atop the championship table. A draw would clinch the series; a win would add further WTC points to a side transitioning under Gill’s captaincy.

For Sri Lanka, avoiding the follow-on — which requires 237 more runs from their current position with only two wickets in hand — is now mathematically out of reach. The realistic target is to narrow the deficit enough to make India’s second innings uncomfortable on a wearing pitch, or to bat long enough to secure a draw if weather intervenes again. Forecasts had already pointed to rain across all five days, and Tuesday’s early finish underscored how much the elements could shape the remaining sessions.

What comes next

The second Test runs through August 27, 2026. Day four begins with Sri Lanka 265 for eight and Dinusha still at the crease on 84 not out. India will look to remove the last two wickets quickly and then decide whether to enforce the follow-on or bat again, depending on the lead and pitch conditions.

For Dinusha, the unbeaten knock is the defining innings of the Colombo Test so far — a counter-attacking half-century-plus built on the same temperament that produced 184 runs in Galle. Whether it changes the match result is another matter; India remain heavy favourites. But on a day when Sri Lanka lost early wickets and rain cut play short, Dinusha’s 84 not out kept the hosts competitive when the scoreboard suggested otherwise.

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Discussion

Dinusha’s day was defined by patience first and acceleration later — the kind of innings that narrows a deficit without yet threatening India’s control of the match.

1. Dinusha scored 184 runs in Galle and followed with 84 not out in Colombo. After two strong performances against India’s spin attack, should he be seen as Sri Lanka’s most reliable Test batter right now — ahead of Mendis and de Silva?

He rebuilt from 8/2 and added 57 runs for the eighth wicket with Nuwantha while the top order fell around him.

2. Sri Lanka trail by 238 runs with only two wickets left and rain already shortening day three. Can Dinusha and Kumara bat long enough on day four to make India bat again — or has India’s 503 already decided this WTC decider?

India’s spin trio of Jadeja, Suthar, and Jain will target the last wickets on a wearing SSC surface.

Share whether Dinusha’s unbeaten 84 changes how you view Sri Lanka’s Test batting depth — or whether avoiding the follow-on was already beyond reach when play ended in the rain.

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