Sri Lanka deserve huge credit for the way they batted out the final day of the second and last Test match of the series, particularly in their second innings. Their performance not only helped them save the game but also highlighted the emergence of a couple of young batters who appear to have significant potential. 

Pasindu Sooriyabandara had an awkward and difficult start to his first Test match, particularly after coming into the game as a concussion substitute. However, he was able to make up for that experience in the second Test and showed why he could be a player of great potential for Sri Lanka going forward. 

Sonal Dinusha was another major positive for Sri Lanka. His performances across the two games have been extraordinary, especially considering that he has produced runs consistently against one of the best sides in the world. He scored three hundreds and an 84 during the series, which underlined the quality of his batting. However, perhaps more impressive than the number of runs was the manner in which he helped save the game for his country. 

Dinusha’s innings in the second innings was one of the great rear-guard efforts. He had to bat on a fourth- and fifth-day pitch against a very strong Indian attack, and his ability to remain at the crease, absorb the pressure and prevent India from bowling Sri Lanka out was a remarkable achievement. It was not simply about accumulating runs; it was about showing the discipline, determination and resilience required to survive in difficult circumstances and give his team a chance of securing a draw. 

There are plenty of encouraging signs for Sri Lanka’s batting unit. With Nissanka out with injury, along with Chandimal and Kusal Mendis, there have been challenges for the batting line-up. Yet the performances during this series suggest that Gary Kirsten has done a terrific job in building a batting unit that can compete both at home and away. 

The next major area Sri Lanka need to address is their bowling. While there were positives during the series, the bowling remains the part of the Test side that needs further development if Sri Lanka are to build a genuinely competitive team moving forward. 

Asitha Fernando was excellent throughout the series, particularly on pitches that were relatively flat and appeared to offer more assistance to the spinners. His performances stood out despite the conditions not always being particularly helpful for seam bowling. 

Sri Lanka will need to take what they did well in this series, particularly their batting performance in the second innings, and build on it. The fight and determination they showed were clear positives. At the same time, there is a need to find ways of helping the seamers and giving them more to work 

with. Developing a stronger group of fast bowlers who can complement the batting unit would be important for Sri Lanka if they want to remain competitive both at home and away. 

Overall, Sri Lankan cricket appears to be moving in the right direction. Saving the Test after being put under such pressure was a fantastic effort, and there is a tremendous amount for the team to take from that performance. The way they fought through the fourth and fifth days showed that there is a strong competitive spirit within the side. 

For India, however, the result will be a source of considerable disappointment. Given their position in the match, they would have expected to bowl Sri Lanka out on the final day. The fact that they were unable to do so means they will look back at the game as a missed opportunity.

One question that could emerge from India’s bowling selection is whether Kuldeep Yadav might have made a difference. The mysterious nature of his spin and the uncertainty over which way the ball would turn could potentially have helped India break some of the stubborn partnerships that Sri Lanka managed to build. 

Kuldeep remains a player who deserves to be very much involved in the side. However, India chose to go in a different direction by playing Saransh Jain and using his off-spin. He is clearly a player at the beginning of his career, and there will be lessons for him and the team from this experience. 

India will also have areas to assess in their batting and decision-making. Shubman Gill may look back at the afternoon on the fourth day when Sri Lanka launched a counterattack. There were periods when Gill appeared to become too defensive, and there was a feeling that India could have continued to attack rather than allowing Sri Lanka to settle for a period. 

That phase could be something Gill reflects on going forward. India had the opportunity to maintain greater pressure, and allowing Sri Lanka a period in which they could counterpunch ultimately contributed to the difficulty of finishing the game. 

Manav Suthar, meanwhile, responded well after coming under pressure. He managed to come back strongly towards the end of the day and picked up a couple of wickets. That response was encouraging and showed that he was able to deal with a difficult period and contribute again with the ball. 

There was also no issue with India’s decision to enforce the follow-on. Given the significant first-innings lead and the weather concerns surrounding the game, enforcing the follow-on made sense. It is easy to question such a decision after the result, but at the time, the circumstances supported it. 

Had the forecast been clear and India been confident of getting all the remaining playing time, the decision might have been different. But with the weather around the match and the substantial first-innings advantage, enforcing the follow-on was a logical choice. India also appeared to expect the pitch to deteriorate further as the match progressed. 

However, the conditions at the SSC generally meant that the pitch remained strong and firm. As a result, bowling a side out twice was always going to be difficult. India may also wonder whether they should have selected an additional seam option instead of going with the extra spin option, although even with the side they selected, they would still have expected to win the match from the position they had reached. 

That is why the final result represents a missed opportunity for India. They had created a position from which victory looked very much within reach, and despite Sri Lanka’s discipline and determination, India could not find the final breakthrough required to finish the match. 

There were nevertheless several positives for India. Devdutt Padikkal was outstanding with the bat, Dhruv Jurel also scored a hundred, while Suthar provided encouraging moments with the ball. Given those positives, it is difficult to be overly critical of India’s overall performance. 

At the same time, the draw makes their World Test Championship campaign slightly more difficult. They are certainly not out of the race, but dropping the opportunity to win this Test has made the path a little more challenging. 

Ultimately, the biggest takeaway from the match is the tremendous credit that Sri Lanka deserve. Before the fourth and fifth days, it was difficult to expect them to survive and battle through the pressure in the manner they

eventually did. Their ability to remain disciplined and determined against India’s strong attack was impressive. 

For India, the feeling will be different. There will be disappointment that, even after Sri Lanka showed such discipline and determination, India were unable to find a way through and complete the victory they would have expected.