After the draw against Sri Lanka in Colombo, India captain Shubman Gill said there was little more his team could have done. Sonal Dinusha’s unbeaten 133 frustrated India, who eventually settled for a draw after the hosts declared later on Day 5 at the Sinhalese Sports Club on Thursday.
“Honestly, nothing. I mean, we fielded for about 250 overs, three days consecutively, and we did everything we can. They played brilliantly. I think the batters played really well, and they had a lot of skill and a little bit of luck going their way. So I don't think we could have done anything differently,” Gill said after the match.
The result meant India finished the two-Test series with a 1-0 victory, having won the opening Test by 165 runs. Despite missing out on a second successive win, Gill viewed Sri Lanka’s resistance as an important lesson for his team.
“A lot of positives for us, even learning from the opposition. I think the position that they were under, under immense pressure, and the way they came back was tremendous to see. It sort of tells us, and we were talking at lunch and at tea time, that I don't think that we could have done (anything) differently,” he added.
Gill highlights positives for India
Gill also identified several individual performances that stood out during the series. Devdutt Padikkal, KL Rahul, Manav Suthar and Prasidh Krishna were among those he praised, while he highlighted the fast bowlers’ efforts across the Test.
“But in the series, a lot of positives for us. Padikkal was brilliant, KL was really good, Manav bowled brilliantly, and Prasidh, in both innings, bent their back; both the fast bowlers. So I think we did everything we can,” Gill said.
With India taking the series, Gill said the next focus would be sustaining the standards established by the team. He underlined consistency in preparation, performance and conduct as priorities for the side.
“Very excited. I think really exciting times for us. Very important for us to be consistent on and off the field, with our preparation and the way that we perform and how we go about our things. And I think so far there have been a lot of positives for us,” Gill concluded.
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Colombo Test ends in draw after India fail to break SL's resistance, courtesy of Sonal Dinusha's ton
