India captain Shubman Gill admitted there were plenty of lessons for his side despite the disappointment of missing out on a series clean sweep against Sri Lanka, while backing the team to respond strongly when they travel to New Zealand later this year.India had to settle for a draw in the second Test at Colombo after Sri Lanka’s lower order produced a determined fightback, led by Sonal Dinusha’s unbeaten 133. India still won the two-match series 1-0, but the dropped opportunity to secure another victory affected their World Test Championship points percentage, leaving them fifth in the standings ahead of the New Zealand series beginning on November 19.Speaking in a video by BCCI, Gill said the way Sri Lanka battled over the final three days deserved recognition and felt India could take lessons from their opponents as well.“A lot of learnings in this series. I think we played decently well. Obviously not the result that we wanted in this match. After day two, we hoped that it was going to be a win for us, and then Sri Lanka batting the way that they did for these three days. Sometimes you have got to learn from the opposition as well and give credit to them for the way that they played, and hopefully we have a good series in New Zealand.”
Gill praises Padikkal‘s impact
One of the biggest positives for India was the form of Devdutt Padikkal, who was named Player of the Series after producing two centuries.With Sai Sudharsan unavailable because of injury, Padikkal made the most of his opportunity and strengthened his case for the No. 3 position in India’s Test batting order.Gill was particularly impressed by Padikkal’s ability to convert good starts into substantial scores.“We speak about once a batsman is set, he should make the most of it, and Devdutt showed that. Very positive signs for us, and the way he batted in the series was a treat to watch, you know, truly tells the mindset of a player, and that is a great positive sign for us,” said Gill about Paddikal.Padikkal ended the series as India’s leading run-scorer, making 328 runs in three innings at an average of 109.33. His tally included two centuries and a highest score of 167.Across his four Tests and six innings so far, Padikkal has accumulated 418 runs at an average of 69.66, with two centuries and one fifty.
Gill identifies Suthar as future spin leader
Gill also singled out Manav Suthar for praise after the left-arm spinner emerged as India’s leading wicket-taker in the series.Suthar’s standout moment came in the first Test at Galle, where he claimed 10 wickets to register the first ten-wicket haul of his career. Gill believes the spinner has the qualities to become a long-term leader of India’s spin attack.“He has been magnificent for us, and I think he is going to be someone who is going to be leading the spin attack for India for a very long time. And the way he bowled in this match and even in the first match was a treat to watch. Every time he comes on to bowl, it feels like he is going to create those chances and going to get us wickets, and hopefully he keeps doing that,” said the skipper.Suthar finished the two-Test series with 16 wickets at an average of 21.06. His haul included a four-wicket spell and a six-wicket haul in the first Test, while his best innings figures were 6/55.
Dinusha leads Sri Lanka’s fightback
India’s first-innings total of 503/9 was built around three-figure knocks from Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel.Padikkal made 117 from 193 balls, hitting 12 fours, while Jurel remained unbeaten on 115 from 177 deliveries, with nine fours and two sixes. Rishabh Pant contributed 63 from 89 balls, including six fours and two sixes, while Gill scored 50 from 108 balls with six fours.Asitha Fernando was Sri Lanka’s most successful bowler, finishing with four wickets.Sri Lanka responded with 290 in their first innings. Dinusha again played a central role, scoring 103 from 162 balls with eight fours and three sixes. Pasindu Sooriyabandara added a valuable 80 from 133 balls, striking nine fours.Prasidh Krishna and Suthar claimed three wickets apiece for India.Asked to follow on, Sri Lanka were reduced to 218/6 before Dinusha and Keshara Nuwantha launched a stubborn recovery. The pair added 112 runs, with Nuwantha making 46 from 150 balls, including four boundaries.Dinusha completed another century, remaining unbeaten on 133 from 264 deliveries with eight fours and two sixes. His resistance, combined with a lower-order effort that repeatedly frustrated India’s bowlers, carried Sri Lanka to 429/9.The draw ended India’s hopes of a 2-0 series victory, but Gill believes the experience can prove valuable when India return to Test action in New Zealand in November.