India vs Sri Lanka match scorecard: What happened on Day 3 of the second Test?

India vs Sri Lanka Test Match Day 3: Sri Lanka Holds Firm Despite Rain Interruption

Sonal Dinusha, who scored a century in the first Test, once again played a crucial role as Sri Lanka ended Day 3 at 265/8 after India declared their first innings total of 503/9. With India seemingly on track to enforce a follow-on, Sri Lanka’s lower order resisted firmly, led by Dinusha and Pasindu Sooriyabandara.

Dinusha (85 not out) and Lahiru Kumara (8 not out) were still batting when the day was cut short due to rain. Sri Lanka needs 38 more runs to avoid the follow-on. Resuming after tea at 216/7, it looked like India might wrap up the innings quickly, but Dinusha fought hard to keep his team in the game.

Dinusha, a small left-handed batsman, showed great determination and skill to withstand pressure from Indian bowlers for over three hours. He formed strong partnerships with Keshara Nuwantha (57 runs) and Lahiru Kumara (35 runs), keeping India’s bowlers at bay.

Earlier, India chose to bat first and their batters, led by Devdutta Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel, took the team past 500. Padikkal scored his third century in three matches, while Jurel notched his first hundred on Sri Lankan soil. Contributions from Shubman Gill (50), Rishabh Pant (63), and Ravindra Jadeja (43) helped India reach the milestone.

India leads the series 1-0 after winning the first Test by 165 runs. The second Test is evenly matched, with Sri Lanka showing resilience to stay in the game despite challenging conditions.