Jaiswal’s Banter Bags Dickwella in Galle Test
Galle [Sri Lanka], August 19 (ANI): A playful exchange between Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sri Lankan wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella led to Dickwella’s dismissal during Sri Lanka’s run-chase on the final day of the Test match at Galle International Stadium.
Dickwella, who was close to another century with 98 runs in his innings, fell short after an engaging partnership with Sonal Dinusha. Jaiswal’s provoking remarks and mind games were key factors in Dickwella’s dismissal.
During the over, Jaiswal stood at square leg and taunted Dickwella, reminding him of his aggressive play in the first innings where he scored 80 runs. Dickwella humorously responded by saying he would hit a six if taken to the IPL. However, in the same over, Dickwella feathered an edge off Rishabh Pant for just 10 runs.
The conversation between Jaiswal and Dickwella, as reported by Cricbuzz’s live blog, went like this:
– Jaiswal: Come on, show me something. Hit him there.
– Dickwella: No need. Take me to the IPL, then I’ll hit.
– Jaiswal: We will take you. Hit him for six, and we’ll take you to the IPL.
After Dickwella’s dismissal, Sri Lanka was left struggling at 175/6, needing 197 more runs to win. Sonal Dinusha (65) and Keshara Nuwantha (8) remained unbeaten at the end of the first session.
Sri Lanka started the day on 84/4, with Dinusha (25) and skipper Dhananjaya de Silva (31) batting. De Silva hit a boundary off Ravindra Jadeja early in the session. Spinner Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj restricted scoring, conceding only nine runs in the next seven overs.
Sri Lanka reached their 100-run mark in 42.3 overs. Both batsmen played more freely after that, finding boundaries against Jadeja. De Silva reached his half-century with six fours, while Dinusha hit a six off Kuldeep Yadav to bring up his fifty.
Jadeja broke the 95-run partnership by dismissing de Silva for 59. Dickwella then played a brilliant reverse sweep for four, bringing Sri Lanka to 150. However, his dismissal for 10 runs ended the partnership, leaving Sri Lanka at 156/6. Dinusha and Nuwantha remained unbeaten at the end of the session.