As the curtains came down on a keenly fought series between Sri Lanka and India at the SSC on Thursday, there was one thing on which everyone seemed to agree: Sonal Dinusha is something special.
If not for him, Sri Lanka would have lost by a much bigger margin in Galle and at the SSC, he literally saved the second Test with help from the tail. Head Coach Gary Kirsten went as far as to call his second innings effort one of the finest match-saving knocks by a Sri Lankan.
You can be sure there were plenty who agreed with that assessment.
How magnificently young Dinusha soaked up the pressure to post an unbeaten 133. He had also made a hundred in the first innings, becoming just the eighth Sri Lankan to score centuries in both innings of a Test. It is an exclusive club, populated by some of the biggest names in Sri Lankan cricket, including Aravinda de Silva, Kumar Sangakkara, Duleep Mendis and Asanka Gurusinha.
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The composure Dinusha showed when put under intense pressure was quite remarkable. In all four innings of the series, he was rarely troubled as he went on to aggregate 420 runs, notching up three hundreds in the process.
The final day was pure backs to the wall stuff. Sri Lanka resumed with a lead of just 16 runs and had three sessions to survive. India came into the day confident they could knock the hosts over before lunch. But they had not bargained for Dinusha and the stubborn resistance of Sri Lanka’s tail.
Keshara Nuwantha had already shown enough with the ball and then equaled his career best First Class score of 46 as he and Dinusha occupied the crease for 246 deliveries. More than the runs, it was the time they consumed that frustrated India.
When Nuwantha fell shortly after lunch, India sensed an opening. But Dinusha and Prabath Jayasuriya batted for nearly another hour. Then Lahiru Kumara showed plenty of application, defending stoutly and facing 90 deliveries. That is 15 overs in all from a fast bowler better known for sending them down at 140 kilometres an hour than keeping them out.
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By the end of it, India had run out of ideas. Not even the second new ball could do the trick.
This has to rank among Sri Lanka’s finest match-saving efforts, right up there with Lord’s in 2006, when Mahela Jayawardene marshalled the tail and defied England after the tourists had been asked to follow on.
Dinusha was not the only youngster to enhance his reputation. Pasindu Sooriyabandara impressed with scores of 92 and 80 while batting in the unfamiliar territory of number three.
The young guns who came in as replacements showed plenty of character and resolve. Moving forward, that augurs well for Sri Lanka.
The effort put in by the quicks, particularly Asitha Fernando, also deserves appreciation. He ran in all day and bowled his heart out in the scorching Colombo heat. It was a wholehearted performance from a large hearted fast bowler who refused to take a backward step.
Gary Kirsten’s mantra of playing on good surfaces, where fast bowlers also get value for their effort, could pay dividends in the long run. More encouragingly, there are several young players knocking on the door who are eager, hungry and desperate to make an impact in international cricket.
Sri Lanka may have lost the series 1-0, but the second Test at the SSC gave you reason to feel proud of this team.
There was fight in abundance. There was character when the chips were down. And there were young players prepared to stand up and be counted.
Sri Lanka may well be out of contention for a place in the World Test Championship final, but at the SSC they showed that there is plenty to work with.
More importantly, they showed that this young side could yet do something special.
