Table of Contents
India National Cricket Team captain Shubman Gill opened up on the performance of his side in the second Test match against the Sri Lanka National Cricket Team on Thursday, August 27. India and Sri Lanka's second Test match has been drawn, with India winning the series 1-0. It was a sensational knock from Sonal Dinusha that earned the draw
Speaking after the draw, Shubman Gill was happy with the team’s performance and said the whole team executed their plans very well in the second game at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo. It is the first Test series win for the team under the India captain in a two- or more-Test match series. He praised the whole team for their amazing effort.
Devdutt Padikkal shone for India
India had control from the very first day after skipper Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to bat first. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul were once again off to a decent start as the latter was dismissed for 18 runs and Jaiswal once again missed his fifty as he scored 45 runs and gave India a good start.
Later on, Devdutt Padikkal was once again the anchor at No. 3, playing a superb knock of 117 runs off 193 balls, as he continued his purple patch in this series. He yet again showcased his domestic playing experience and smacked 12 boundaries in the innings. He stitched a 120-run partnership with skipper Shubman Gill, who came back in form and scored a fifty.
Rishabh Pant, who had a minor injury after being struck on his wrist on day 1. However, he came back strong on day 2 and played a superb knock of 66 runs. He stitched a partnership of 112 runs with Dhruv Jurel, who also scored a century in the 2nd Test match, as he was unbeaten on the score of 115 as India declared 503/9.
Sonal Dinusha the hero for Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka had the worst start as they lost 8/2, but debutant Pasindu Sooriyabandara and Sonal Dinusha stepped up big for the side as, in the first innings, when the chips were down, the two played stunning knocks; the former scored 80 runs, and the latter continued his golden form in the series, scoring a hundred.
But they could not save the follow-on as they were bowled out for 290 runs. After being followed on, they came back strong with the help of the same two batters, as Sooriyabandara scored 92 runs before being dismissed, and Sonal Dinusha, who stuck in between the win for India, played an unbeaten knock of 133 runs and helped Sri Lanka to get a draw.
Shubman Gill praises despite a draw
Shubman Gill praised Devdutt Padikkal and KL Rahul as they were good in this series, and he also backed his bowlers and was happy with their performances, and mentioned that he is happy with the way Manav Suthar has been developing.
Shubman Gill said in the post-match presentation, "We fielded for about 250 overs, we did everything that we can. I don't think we could have done anything differently. A lot of positives for us, learning from the opposition. The way they came back, it was tremendous to see. I don't think we could have done things differently. Devdutt was brilliant, KL was good."
"Our bowlers were good, they bowled really well. Very excited, really exciting times for us. Need to be consistent with our preparations. So far there have been a lot of positives for us. Suthar is consistent, how well he releases the ball, I think he's going to be crucial for us in the upcoming years."
"We'll make it to the WTC final": Shubman Gill on playing WTC final
Shubman Gill also revealed their plans for the forthcoming Test series against New Zealand and highlighted the way Sri Lanka played in this match. He also believes that India will qualify for the WTC final.
"Yes, we are going to New Zealand, so that'll be a good series for us and then a good home season. We'll keep believing and hopefully we'll make it to the WTC final. Like I said, SL played brilliantly."
"In hindsight you can think [about the follow-on], but you can only talk about these things in hindsight. You take the best decision you can in the moment and some thing didn't go our way. But it was a brilliant game and I think Test cricket won today."
