India’s Captain Shubman Gill, left, on day five of second Test (PTI Photo)
India had to settle for a draw in the second Test at Colombo after Sri Lanka’s lower order produced a determined fightback, led by Sonal Dinusha’s unbeaten 133. India still won the two-match series 1-0, but the dropped opportunity to secure another victory affected their World Test Championship points percentage, leaving them fifth in the standings ahead of the New Zealand series beginning on November 19.
Speaking in a video by BCCI, Gill said the way Sri Lanka battled over the final three days deserved recognition and felt India could take lessons from their opponents as well. “A lot of learnings in this series. I think we played decently well. Obviously not the result that we wanted in this match. After day two, we hoped that it was going to be a win for us, and then Sri Lanka batting the way that they did for these three days. Sometimes you have got to learn from the opposition as well and give credit to them for the way that they played, and hopefully we have a good series in New Zealand.”
Very positive signs for us, and the way he batted in the series was a treat to watch, you know, truly tells the mindset of a player, and that is a great positive sign for us,” said Gill about Paddikal. Every time he comes on to bowl, it feels like he is going to create those chances and going to get us wickets, and hopefully he keeps doing that,” said the skipper. “We speak about once a batsman is set, he should make the most of it, and Devdutt showed that. “He has been magnificent for us, and I think he is going to be someone who is going to be leading the spin attack for India for a very long time. And the way he bowled in this match and even in the first match was a treat to watch.
India captain Shubman Gill admitted there were plenty of lessons for his side despite the disappointment of missing out on a series clean sweep against Sri Lanka, while backing the team to respond strongly when they travel to New Zealand later this year. One of the biggest positives for India was the form of Devdutt Padikkal, who was named Player of the Series after producing two centuries.