Sonal Dinusha capped a defining series with a masterclass in resolve and patience, smashing an unbeaten 133 off 264 balls to help Sri Lanka secure a hard-fought draw against India in the second Test at the SSC Ground on Thursday.

The result gave India a 1-0 victory in the two-match series.

Sri Lanka, forced to follow on after scoring 290 in the first innings, began Day Five with a slender 16-run lead. Dinusha led a determined rearguard action as Sri Lanka reached 429/9 in 154 overs before declaring late in the final session.

Keshara Nuwantha and the tail-enders also produced valuable resistance, allowing the hosts to lose just three wickets on the final day.

Sri Lanka added 100 unbeaten runs in 31.2 overs during the morning session. Dinusha and Nuwantha earned a standing ovation from the hosts’ dressing room as they walked off at lunch.

India’s seemingly straightforward task of taking the remaining four wickets quickly turned into a major challenge. The Indian bowlers used defensive, spread-out fields without close catchers, allowing Dinusha and Nuwantha to rotate the strike and settle into a comfortable rhythm.

India struggled to build sustained pressure, with the seamers frequently bowling away from the stumps.

Dinusha anchored Sri Lanka’s fightback with a composed innings featuring just two boundaries. His performance extended his remarkable run to four consecutive 50-plus scores in the series. He handled the spinners confidently, using deft sweeps and crisp off-side drives. The innings also placed the left-hander among an elite group of batters who have scored 50 or more in each of their first four Test innings against India.

At the other end, Nuwantha grew increasingly comfortable against both pace and spin, relying heavily on his driving. He negotiated the second new-ball spells from Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna with soft hands and considerable patience.

India’s frustration surfaced in the 90th over when Siraj used a review after a desperate caught-behind appeal against Nuwantha. DRS showed that the bat had struck the turf rather than the ball.

Nuwantha survived another scare just before lunch when on-field umpire Ahsan Raza gave him out LBW against Ravindra Jadeja. Nuwantha immediately reviewed the decision, and DRS showed that the ball was comfortably missing leg stump. Sri Lanka went into lunch as the happier side.

Sri Lanka added only 54 runs during the second session but continued to frustrate India. Dinusha earned another standing ovation from the Sri Lankan dressing room.

India finally made a breakthrough when Suthar dismissed Nuwantha at second slip, ending a 112-run partnership. Dinusha continued his patient innings, combining disciplined defence with calculated strokeplay and repeatedly using different sweep shots to disrupt the bowlers.

He found strong support from Kumara, who adopted a defensive approach to frustrate the tiring Indian attack. Although Suthar struck again early in the session, India struggled to create clear opportunities to dismiss the remaining batters.

Veteran left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja then removed Prabath Jayasuriya for two, with a catch at slip. However, Kumara continued to frustrate India, facing 56 deliveries during his unbeaten stay at the crease.

Kumara survived a close run-out opportunity after a wide throw from Prasidh Krishna allowed him to scramble back safely. He also edged a Saransh Jain delivery past an unoccupied second slip.

At the other end, Dinusha managed the strike expertly and punished any loose deliveries.

The left-hander repeatedly used the reverse sweep against Jain and Jadeja, while precise late cuts and paddle shots helped him maintain the pressure on India.

India rotated its bowling options and placed close-in fielders, but Dinusha’s disciplined batting and a pitch offering little assistance to the bowlers kept Sri Lanka secure until tea.

Dinusha reached his second century of the match with the very first ball of the final session. He clipped a full delivery from Mohammed Siraj towards mid-wicket for two runs, removed his helmet and raised his bat to acknowledge the applause.

The century made Dinusha only the third Sri Lankan batter, after Aravinda de Silva and Kumar Sangakkara, to score three centuries in a two-match Test series. It also made him the eighth Sri Lankan batter to score twin centuries in a Test.

India’s tiring attack could not break Sri Lanka’s lower-order resistance during the final session. Siraj bowled fewer overs because of a physical niggle, while Jadeja also appeared to struggle with discomfort.

Sri Lanka’s tailenders used the opportunity to completely extinguish India’s hopes of victory. Lahiru Kumara battled for an unbeaten 12 off 90 balls before Jadeja dismissed him, with Yashasvi Jaiswal taking an excellent catch at short leg.

Dinusha then accelerated, hitting sixes off Jadeja and Shubman Gill over deep mid-wicket before striking consecutive boundaries against Jaiswal’s leg-spin. He added 27 runs with Asitha Fernando in the last-wicket stand, with Fernando remaining unbeaten on 0 after facing 24 deliveries.

When the teams finally shook hands and the match ended in a draw, Dinusha had amassed 419 runs in the series at an average of 139.66.

The Sri Lankan dressing room gave the youngster a third standing ovation of the day, while Indian players congratulated him for producing a heroic marathon innings that saved the Test for the hosts.

Brief scores:

India 503/9 dec in 138 overs
Sri Lanka 290 and (f/o) 429/9 in 154 overs (Sonal Dinusha 133 not out, Pasindu Sooriyabandara 92; Manav Suthar 3-105, Ravindra Jadeja 3-94)