Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Sri Lanka may have struggled to match India across the Test series, but Sonal Dinusha has emerged as one of the biggest positives for the hosts. The left-hander has repeatedly stood up when his team needed resistance, combining patience with calculated aggression against a high-quality Indian attack.
Dinusha’s first three Test innings against India have produced scores of 100, 84 and another 80-plus score in Colombo, making him only the third batter after Zaheer Abbas and Everton Weekes to score at least 80 in each of his first three Test innings against India.
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What has stood out most is the manner in which he has scored those runs. Dinusha has not simply survived long spells against India’s spinners; he has consistently looked to disrupt their rhythm with his feet, sweeps and smart rotation of strike. That combination has made him one of Sri Lanka’s most reliable batters in the series.
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Dinusha’s breakthrough came in the opening Test at Galle, where he walked in with Sri Lanka in deep trouble. Instead of allowing India’s spinners to dictate terms, he used his feet effectively against Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar and Ravindra Jadeja, while the sweep and reverse-sweep helped him counter their lengths.
Once settled, Dinusha mixed defence with calculated aggression, advancing down the pitch, rotating the strike and attacking loose deliveries. He brought up his maiden Test century from 168 balls, with four fours and two sixes, before Jadeja eventually dismissed him for 100.
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His impact did not end there. Dinusha followed the century with a composed 84 in the second innings, again using his feet and sweep shot to put pressure on India’s spinners. He reached his fifty by launching Kuldeep over deep midwicket before falling to Suthar, caught by Dhruv Jurel at leg gully, just 16 runs short of consecutive hundreds.
Those two innings showed that his century was no one-off. Dinusha had found a method that allowed him to survive India’s spin threat while still scoring at crucial moments.
COLOMBO: DINUSHA MAKES INDIA WORK HARD
The second Test has only strengthened Dinusha’s reputation as a difficult batter to dislodge. In Colombo, he has again combined patience with attacking strokeplay, particularly against India’s spinners.
He initially focused on defence, repeatedly using his feet to get close to the pitch and smother the turn. Once comfortable, he brought out his sweep, reverse-sweep and slog-sweep, striking sixes off Suthar and Saransh Jain while finding regular boundaries on the leg side.
Rather than merely blocking his way through difficult passages, Dinusha has repeatedly looked for scoring opportunities and forced India’s bowlers to adjust their plans.
That was precisely what impressed Saba Karim during the Colombo Test.
“For a young batter, you need to have this kind of clarity, and that is what is so refreshing to see.”
Karim highlighted Dinusha’s footwork and his ability to formulate a plan against both pace and spin.
“He is very nimble on his feet and has his game worked out in terms of how to play on these tracks against seamers as well as against spinners.”
His approach against Jadeja was a particular talking point, with Dinusha willing to attack even when India had protection in the deep.
“He was able to slog-sweep him towards that deep midwicket area. Although India had posted three fielders there, for him to find that kind of a gap was incredible to watch.”
Karim also pointed to the subtlety in Dinusha’s batting against the seamers.
“He plays very late, right under his eye, so he has enough time to play with soft hands and steal a single.”
That balance between defence, rotation and aggression has been one of the defining features of his performances in Colombo.
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Sanjay Manjrekar was equally impressed by Dinusha’s performance in Colombo, particularly his ability to handle spin and keep the scoreboard moving.
“He seems to be doing everything right. To begin with, I think he’s a good player of spin and has a good feel for spinners.”
Manjrekar also praised the youngster’s ability to collect ones and twos rather than relying solely on boundaries.
“He has the soft skill of taking ones and twos.”
For a batter facing India’s spin-heavy attack on turning conditions, that ability has proved crucial. Dinusha has consistently found ways to keep the strike rotating, preventing the bowlers from building pressure through long periods of dot balls.
But it was Manjrekar’s assessment of Dinusha’s temperament that perhaps summed up his impact best.
“He looks like a guy who’s played 50 Test matches for Sri Lanka.”
Dinusha’s first-class experience appears to have given him the confidence to handle difficult situations, but his performances against India suggest there is more to his game than simply experience. He has shown the technique to defend, the footwork to counter spin and the range of shots to attack when opportunities arise.
As Manjrekar put it, “Temperament is the key.” Dinusha has certainly shown plenty of it. For Sri Lanka, he has been one of the few consistent bright spots across the series. For India, he has become a problem that refuses to go away, a young left-hander with the patience, skill and confidence to make himself a tough nut to crack.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
