India’s Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill (PTI Photo)
Sri Lanka Holds India to a Draw in Final Test
Sri Lanka’s Sonal Dinusha scored an unbeaten century, helping his team to a resilient draw against India in the final Test of the series. Despite India being in a dominant position, needing just two more wickets to secure a 2-0 series victory, they managed only two dismissals on the last day. The match concluded with Sri Lanka resuming play with six wickets down, ultimately ensuring they did not lose the match.
India appeared to believe that Sri Lanka’s resistance would eventually collapse because of the assistance available to the spinners, rather than actively creating pressure to force wickets, according to Kaif.
I felt that if someone like Virat Kohli had been playing this match, he would have been constantly shouting and keeping his team switched on,” Kaif said. The ball is turning so much, it will happen on its own,” Kaif said. “At times, I felt we took things for granted, thinking, ‘Just keep bowling, it will happen.
The result left India with a 1-0 series victory and made their road to the World Test Championship Final considerably tougher. India remain fifth in the WTC standings, with Sri Lanka sixth, and now have little room for error with seven Tests remaining. Kaif felt the Colombo setback was partly down to India failing to maintain the kind of energy required during a long Test match. The former India batter pointed towards Kohli ’s leadership style, particularly the way the former captain would constantly communicate with his teammates and keep the intensity high even during extended periods in the field. “Playing Tests isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, boss. It’s a very long game and you have to keep bowling continuously.