Former Indian cricketer and presenter Cheteshwar Pujara has showered praise on the Sri Lankan middle-order batter Sonal Dinusha, who emerged as the player of the match in the second Test against India in Colombo.
Speaking on Cricinfo, Pujara stated that Dinusha reminded him of Sri Lankan legends like Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. He later reckoned that Dinusha has the talent to become a great batter for his nation.
“The way he has batted throughout the series has been phenomenal. He takes me into that era of batters like Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. When I was growing up, I used to look up to those Sri Lankan players. In 5-10 years, Sonal Dinusha can be one of the greats of Sri Lankan cricket. He has shown that potential. The way he batted on the last day of the second Test match, it was a commendable effort,” Pujara said on Cricinfo.
Dinusha amassed 420 runs at an average of 140 in four innings as he emerged as the leading run-scorer in the two-match series. While Dinusha scored 103 runs in the first innings, he scored a 133-run unbeaten knock in the second innings.
Meanwhile, Dinusha got good support from the lower-order batter Keshara Nuwantha and Lahiru Kumara, for supporting Dinusha from the other end.
“Credit to Keshara Nuwantha and Lahiru Kumara as well. The partnerships were very crucial. The kind of technique Nuwantha showed was surprising because his first-class record doesn’t suggest that. Especially against the spinners, he was allowing the ball to hit the bat,” Pujara added.
