'Along with skill, his cricketing sense is fabulous' - Mohammad Kaif praises Sonal Dinusha after fighting knock in Colombo

Sonal Dinusha produced a fighting innings for Sri Lanka in the second Test against India in Colombo, remaining unbeaten on 85 off 137 balls at the end of Day 3. His knock came as Sri Lanka trailed India's 503 for 9 declared by 238 runs, with the hosts needing another 39 runs to avoid the follow-on and two wickets remaining in their first innings.

Former India batter Mohammad Kaif analysed Dinusha's performance and highlighted the distinct nature of his batting position and approach. Kaif noted that Dinusha bats at No. 6 or No. 7 in the order, a position that requires different skills compared to middle-order batters who have established players around them. He compared how his challenge is different to that of India's in-form batter Devdutt Padikkal, who bats at No. 3.

"Padikkal comes at No. 3. Sonal Dinusha bats at No. 6 or No. 7. It means he has scored most of his runs batting with lower-order batters. This is a different aspect of the game where you take your game forward with tailenders and build partnerships. You have to talk to them and ask them to stay and play cautiously," he said during a discussion on Sony Sports.

Kaif further elaborated on Dinusha's game awareness and the tactical awareness he displays while batting in the lower order. The former India player drew a contrast between Dinusha's situation and that of Devdutt Padikkal, who bats at No. 3 with established batsmen around him. Kaif's assessment highlighted how Dinusha manages the strike rotation and partnership building in challenging circumstances.

"He takes a single off the last ball and keeps the strike. It shows that, along with skill, his cricketing sense is fabulous. Padikkal plays at No," Kaif said.

"3, and he has proper batters with him. KL Rahul is there with him, or he builds a partnership with Shubman Gill. You will rarely find what he (Dinusha) is doing," he added.

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Dinusha's 85 not out was built on a solid foundation of stroke play, with the Sri Lankan batter striking two sixes and six fours during his innings. His ability to rotate the strike and maintain momentum while batting with the tail demonstrated the game awareness that Kaif highlighted in his assessment. The unbeaten knock extended Dinusha's strong performance in the series, following scores of 100 and 84 in the opening Test at Galle, where India won comprehensively to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. His fifty in Colombo marked his third fifty-plus score of the series, and he was one of only five batters to face at least 50 deliveries in Sri Lanka's second-innings effort.