SL vs IND

Shubman Gill walks up to collect the trophy for the series win. He then joins his teammates for the celebrations and the pictures. DDP, Suthar and Saransh get their hands around the sliverware too as India take this 2-match series 1-0 and continue their series winning record against Sri Lanka going. As far as the cycle goes, India remain on number five in the WTC table and they have a really steep climb in front of them now. This day will be remembered for Sri Lanka though, for Sonal Dinusha and the lower order that helped him get the draw for his nation. India do have plenty of positives in the form of Devdutt Padikkal, Manav Suthar, Dhruv Jurel and Prasidh Krishna but they will go back with a bittersweet taste in their mouths while it will feel like a win for Sri Lanka who have found a couple of mainstays with the bat around which they can build for the future. The cricketing action rolls on but for now it is time for us to take your leave. This is Sourabh Agrawal signing off on behalf of Pradeep, Darpan, Bidipto and everyone else in the team. See you soon!

Shubman Gill (India captain): (what could you have done differently?) Honestly nothing. We fielded for 250 overs, we did everything we could but they played really well. Their batters showed a lot of skill, got some luck as well but there is nothing that we could have done differently. (Positives from the series) Lots of positves for us, even learning from the opposition who were under tremendous pressure but they came back. We were talking during the lunch and tea break that we could not have done anything differently. The way Devdutt batted, he was brilliant, KL was good too. Manav bowled really well, both the fast bowlers really bent their back in both the innings. Very exciting times ahead for us, we need to be consistent on and off the field. (on Manav Suthar) Everything about him impressed me. He is very consistent, the way he releases the ball and how it goes off his fingers is pleasing to watch. (plans going forward) We are going to New Zealand, that will be a good series for us and then a good home series. We will keep believing as long as we have a chance (to make it to the WTC final), hopefully the NZ series goes well for us. (thoughts on the opposition) The played brilliantly this game. In hindsight, you can think whether the follow on was the right decision but we were not sure about the weather and how much play we would get. But that is all in hindsight, at that time you want to take the decision that is best for the team. At the end, Test cricket won today.

Devdutt Padikkal is the Player of the Series for his 328 runs in 3 innings including two centuries, this is what he had to say: It feels great, it would have been better had we got the win. (thoughts on the two surfaces in the series) It was pretty similar, quite slow here as well. At the end of the day, the batters got better at playing in these conditions and it shows. It takes a lot of clarity, got to have clear plans. Everyone came in with their plans and applied themselves. (making a comeback into the national side) You always want to play, you want to represent the country. Always want to keep working hard, that is what is in your control. The 11 is not in your control, sometimes you need to help out your teammates. (being dropped on 0) It is a part of the game, it is important to forget that as fast as you can. There was a lot of time left in the game and you have got to focus on the next ball and that is what I tried to do. (Has he sealed the number 3 spot?) I am happy to score runs for the team, the position does not matter. As long as I am contributing to the team's wins, I am happy. It is a young side, important that we continue to keep learning. Really looking forward to doing better going forward

Sonal Dinusha is the Player of the Match! Here's what he has to say: [On his preparation] “I have to give credit to our coaching staff, who encouraged me throughout. My school coaches, provincial coaches, family and friends have also supported me. I had an idea that this wicket would turn, so I put in some quality practice sessions to prepare for it.”

[On Day 5] “I’d like to mention the tailenders as well. They batted really well. I just tried to do my best and read the situation accordingly.”

[On his record-breaking performance] “I’m really happy about it. I wanted to score runs for the team when we were in trouble, so I’m really pleased with how things turned out.”

[On scoring runs against India] “As a player, getting runs against India is always a pleasure.”

Dhananjaya de Silva (Sri Lanka Captain): (On the draw) “Yes, I’m satisfied with the result.”

(On the positives from the series and the youngsters stepping up) “Absolutely. It’s all about identifying talent for the future of Sri Lankan cricket. The selectors and the coach gave me the opportunity to bring in the youngsters, and we wanted them to go out there, play freely and do their job for the country.”

(On experienced players returning from injury) “Of course, that’s a good headache to have. We have three players who were regulars before their injuries, and now they’ll have to come back into the team. So, yeah, that’s a good headache for us.”

(On what he would have done differently) “Maybe I would have batted a little longer in the second innings. That could have helped us get deeper into the game and put ourselves in a better position in the series.”

MATCH DRAWN

India 503/9 dec & Sri Lanka 290 & 429/9 dec (following on)

Devdutt Padikkal 117(193), Dhruv Jurel 115*(177) | Manav Suthar 3/85(22) & 3/121(41)
Sonal Dinusha 103(162) & 133*(264), Pasindu Sooriyabandara 80(133) & 92(173)

In an era where draws are unfashionable, Sri Lanka on the back of Sonal Dinusha's heroics have refused to give up and eeked out a draw for themselves not giving India the win that seemed on the cards all the way along. This is what makes this format the most special, you may not win yourselves but if you have got the fight in you, the opposition will not win as well

Sri Lanka's lower order fight was inspiring, just 3 wickets lost in almost 82 overs on a Day 5 SSC pitch which was turning consistently

Sonal Dinusha will grab all the headlines and rightly so, world cricket might have just found their newest superstar but it would be unfair to not mention the stubborn resistance provided by the likes of Nuwantha, Jayasuriya, Kumara and Fernando who batted out 435 deliveries combined in both the innings out of which almost 300 were on Day 5

There was Pasindu Sooriyabandara as well, who came in as a concussion sub in Galle and registered a golden duck, he got 80 and 92 in the two innings here and even though he missed out on two centuries, he was a massive factor too in Sri Lanka's great rescue

What about India though? India were on the field from late Day 2, a total of 243.4 overs on the trot for the visitors on the field who chose to enforce the follow on looking at the weather around but as mother nature would have it there was not even a single drop of rain on Day 5

Padikkal was the biggest positive for India in this series, two centuries for the left-hander at number 3 in three innings as he finishes as the second-highest run scorer of the series with 328 runs. Manav Suthar's stock has risen in his young career, 16 wickets for the left-arm spinner in 2 Tests who finishes as the highest-wicket taker of the series. There was a century from Dhruv Jurel too at number 7 to go with his fifty in Galle as well

As a result of this draw, India's WTC final hopes have taken a big hit and they will now need to win at least 6 out of the 7 matches remaining in the cycle for them including the 2-match series against NZ away and the 5-match BGT at home early next year

4:37 PM local time and IST: There we go, the players are shaking hands which means Sri Lanka have earned themselves a draw which no one saw coming. Sri Lanka have chosen to declare their innings which means two overs will be taken out of the remaining 17 which takes it to 15 which is when the captains can accept a draw which is what they have done. The entire Indian team congratulates Sonal Dinusha, he has truly announced himself to the cricketing world and the world will take notice. He walks back with Asitha Fernando and gets massive applause and congratulations from his teammates, the skipper DDS is out there applauding and so is the head coach Gary Kirsten. Lots of taps on the back for the 25-year old who is a superstar now and talking about coaches the Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir is out there too shaking hands. Wonder what he will be thinking. For now though, SSC ends with a draw courtesy a perfromance of a lifetime from Sonal Dinusha and Sri Lanka's tail and India take the 2-match series 1-0 with the birth