Indian bowlers toiled hard in the middle on Day 5 of the second Test of the series against Sri Lanka in Colombo. An in-form Sonal Dinusha led the charge once again, frustrating the bowlers with partnerships with lower order. As shoulders dropped on Day 5, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant tried to lift his teammates, asking them to generate some energy on the field and not give up.
“Body language uthani padegi bhaiyo. Bahar se koi nahi ayega. Dum lagao thodi der yaar. Energy create karo andar se. Chalo, chalo, chalo bhai. Shoulder bahut drop ho gaya hai. Thoda mahaul banana padega (We need to lift your body language, brothers. No one is going to come from the outside to do it for you. Put in some effort for a bit, guys. Generate some energy from within. Come on, let's go, let's go. Your shoulders have really slumped; we need to liven up the atmosphere a bit),” Pant was heard saying on stump mic.
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Dinusha stands tall while following on
At the start of the Day 5's play, Sri Lanka were 229/6. The equation for India was simple — take four wickets and chase down the total. Before the day's play started, rain was the main threat. As the day progressed, Dinusha stood between India and victory. He teamed up with Keshara Nuwantha and thwarted India's plans. There were flaws in India's strategy as Dinusha and Nuwantha were allowed to settle. The second new ball could not deliver a breakthrough either. At the end of first session, Sri Lanka were 329/6.
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After a wicketless lesion, Manav Suthar provided the breakthrough with Nuwantha's wicket. He contributed with 46 runs from 150 deliveries in the 112-run partnership for the seventh wicket.
India were expected to wrap up the tail. But, the tail wagged again. Prabath Jayasuriya lost his wicket but not before facing 28 deliveries to score eight runs. After Ravindra Jadeja's strike, Lahiru Kumara showed patience once again. Curbing his instinct to attack, he blocked everything. The edges didn't carry and opportunities were wasted as Dinusha's knock continued.
At the end of second session, Sri Lanka were 383/8.