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Sri Lanka National Cricket Team was forced to make a change in their playing combination as their star batter Dinesh Chandimal was ruled out for the remainder of the Galle Test with a shoulder injury. Pasindu Sooriyabandara has been named as the concussion substitute to replace Chandimal. Sooriyabandara, a 26-year-old batter, made his Test debut out of nowhere.
There are very few instances when a cricketer made his debut in Tests as a concussion sub. Before Pasindu Sooriyabandara, there were only four players who made their Test debuts as concussion substitutes.
Pasindu Sooriyabandara is the only 5th player to make a Test debut as a concussion sub
Since the concussion substitute rule was applied in the game to protect players from serious Injuries, there are only five instances when a player joined the main playing combination in place of an injured player and marked their debut in the Test format. Zimbabwe's Brian Mudzinganyama was the first player to make his debut as a concussion sub against Sri Lanka in 2020 in Harare.
In 2022, South Africa's Khaya Zondo and England's Matthew Parkinson were the two cricketers to do the same. In the following year, Afghanistan provided Bahir Shah with his debut Test, and in 2026, Sooriyabandara debuted as a concussion sub.
List of players who made Test debuts as concussion subs:
Brian Mudzinganyama (Zimbabwe) vs SL Harare 2020
Khaya Zondo (South Africa) vs BAN Gqeberha 2022
Matthew Parkinson (England) vs NZ Lord's 2022
Bahir Shah (Afghanistan) vs BAN Mirpur 2023
Pasindu Sooriyabandara (Sri Lanka) vs IND Galle 2026
Pasindu Sooriyabandara dismissed for a golden duck
However, Sooriyabandara could not utilise the opportunity. He came to bat in the second innings, as the No.3 batter of the Sri Lankan batting line-up, and was dismissed for a golden duck. Team India spinner Manav Suthar plumbed the pad of the batter and showed him the path to the pavilion.
The on-field umpire initially turned down the appeal, only to be overruled by the third umpire. Captain Shubman Gill took a review; after a brief discussion with his teammates, he signalled for a review. The ball hit the back leg of the batter without getting any part of the bat. There was no spike on the UltraEdge; the umpire had to doubt whether to give the debutant a leg before wicket dismissal.
Team India needs 7 more wickets to win the Galle Test
Pasindu's golden duck put the Sri Lanka cricket team in a massively challenging situation; it was their second wicket of the innings. The hosts still have the chance to defeat India, or at least settle the match for a draw. To win the Galle Test, they are required to score 372 runs, with Day 5 in hand.
From Team India's perspective, 10 wickets will take them to the finish line safely. As of now, Sri Lanka is down by three wickets, with only 33 runs on the scoreboard. Lahiru Udara and skipper Dhananjaya de Silva are on the crease at the moment.
