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    STUMP VISION                                                      SEPTEMBER 11, 2026       |  The Indian Eye 51

                     1-0 to India, 1 Epic Escape:

                   Colombo Changes the Story

            India won the away series. Sri Lanka won something just as important: belief.

                                                                                                                  More importantly, his performances
                                                                                                                  strengthened India’s options at No.
                                                                                                                  3 and suggested that the transition
                                                                                                                  in the top order is progressing well.
                                                                                                                      Sri Lanka’s answer was Sonal Di-
                                                                                                                  nusha. The 25-year-old left-hander
                                                                                                                  scored 420 runs at an average of 140,
                                                                                                                  but his greatest contribution came in
                                                                                                                  Colombo. After Sri Lanka followed
                                                                                                                  on and slipped to 218/6, Dinusha
                                                                                                                  produced an unbeaten 133 to lead
                     ARCHAN MEHTA                                                                                 a  remarkable  resistance.  Sri  Lanka
                                                                                                                  batted for 154  overs  and  reached
                  he India-Sri Lanka Test rival-                                                                  429/9, denying India victory. His pa-
                  ry has changed dramatically                                                                     tience, late strokeplay and controlled
            Tover the past 25 years. What                                                                         sweeps against spin demonstrated
            began as a contest dominated by Sri                                                                   exactly what was required to survive
            Lanka at home has gradually become                                                                    a fifth-day Test.
            a story of India’s growing control in                                                                     India’s biggest positive was
            subcontinental conditions. Across                                                                     Suthar. The left-arm spinner took 16
            10 bilateral series and 28 Tests since                                                                wickets at 21.06, including a 10-wick-
            2001, the rivalry has moved from the                                                                  et  match  haul  in  Galle.  His  6/55
            Muralitharan era and marathon bat-                                                                    helped India secure the opening Test,
            ting to aggressive Test cricket, deep-                                                                while his marathon 41-over spell in
            er  bowling  attacks  and,  now,  a  new                                                              Colombo showed his ability to main-
            generation of players. The 2026 two-                                                                  tain pressure even on a less respon-
            Test series continued that evolution,                                                                 sive surface. His emergence gives
            with India winning the opening Test                                                                   India another important spin option
            in Galle by 165 runs before Sri Lan-                                                                  as the team moves deeper into a new
            ka fought back to secure a dramatic                                                                   Test cycle.
            draw in Colombo.                                                                                          Yet the Colombo draw mat-
                The shift in power has been clear.                                                                ters beyond the series result. India’s
            Sri  Lanka  won  the  2001  and  2008                                                                 points percentage fell to 51.52%,
            home series, while the 2010 contest                                                                   tightening its World Test Champi-
            ended 1-1. India changed the equa-                                                                    onship  qualification  equation.  The
            tion  in  2015,  winning  2-1,  followed                                                              missed opportunity means India now
            by a 3-0 sweep in 2017. The change                                                                    needs  five  wins  from  its  final  seven
            was tactical as much as statistical. In-                                                              Tests, according to the document’s
            dia increasingly relied on five-bowler   Sonal Dinusha, the 25-year-old left-hander scored 420 runs at an average of 140, with his   projection.  Sri  Lanka,  meanwhile,
            combinations, stronger lower-order            greatest contribution coming in the Colombo Test (ANI photo)   proved that lower-order resilience
            batting  and  aggressive  fielding.  By                                                               can turn an almost certain defeat
            2026, India had established itself                                                                    into a historic escape
            as  the  stronger  side,  but  Sri  Lanka   tactical approach built around drift,   dikkal provided a different but equal-  India may have won the series,
            showed that dominance meant little   angles and changes in trajectory. In   ly  effective model. His controlled   but Colombo changed the conver-
            when a Test entered its final hours.  2026, Manav Suthar offered another   strokeplay  allowed  him  to  absorb   sation.  Sri  Lanka  exposed  the  fine
                Spin has always been the cen-  glimpse of India’s next generation of   pressure  before  attacking  when  Sri   margins between control and col-
            tral weapon in this rivalry, but the   spin excellence.             Lanka’s bowlers missed their lengths.  lapse,  while  Padikkal,  Suthar  and
            craft  has evolved.  Muttiah  Murali-  The batting story has been equal-  Padikkal  was  India’s  standout   Dinusha announced a new gener-
            tharan’s doosra once challenged In-  ly fascinating. Virender Sehwag’s 201   batter, scoring 328 runs in three in-  ation. The rivalry is evolving,  the
            dia’s finest batters, while Anil Kum-  not out at Galle and his breathtaking   nings at an average of 109.33 and   stakes are rising, and one truth re-
            ble and Harbhajan Singh provided   293 off 254 balls in 2009 showed how   winning Player of the Series. His 167   mains: in Test cricket, resistance can
            India’s response. Ajantha Mendis   aggression could destroy traditional   in Galle and 117 in Colombo showed   rewrite the entire story.
            then  changed the  contest with  his   spin plans. Virat Kohli later turned   impressive control against spin. His
            mystery spin and carrom ball. Later,   dominance into sustained accumu-  strong forward stride helped neu-  Archan Mehta is a writer dedicated to
            Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra   lation,  scoring  610  runs  during  the   tralise turn, while shorter deliveries   telling compelling stories about athletes,
            Jadeja developed a more precise,   2017-18 series. In 2026, Devdutt Pa-  were dealt with through pulls and cuts.   teams, and the world of cricket

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