IND vs SL: The second test match played between India and Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo ended in a draw. Team India was dominating the Colombo Test for the fourth consecutive day, but on the last day, Sri Lanka turned the tables and drew the match. This is the first time in the history of Indian Test cricket that Team India gave follow-on to Sri Lanka and that match ended in a draw. Earlier, in the 39 years of India vs Sri Lanka Test cricket, whenever Team India had given follow-on to Sri Lanka, Team India had won by a huge margin of innings and runs, but this time Team India had to face a draw. Now this record has been added to the name of Shubman Gill, so let us know in this article that when India gave follow-on to Sri Lanka and won and why India could not register victory in the Colombo Test.
India stuck by giving follow on for the first time against Sri Lanka
Test matches are being played between India and Sri Lanka since 1987. From then till the year 2022, the Indian team had given follow-on to Sri Lanka a total of 8 times in Test cricket. In all these 8 matches, Team India performed brilliantly and won by innings or runs. From Indian pitches to Sri Lankan grounds, the opposition team was never successful in saving the match after getting the follow-on. But in the year 2026, history changed under the captaincy of Shubman Gill and this winning streak was broken. Gill has now become the first Indian captain who could not register a win after giving follow-on to Sri Lanka.
1987 (Cuttack): Under the captaincy of captain Kapil Dev, India won for the first time by giving follow-on to Sri Lanka.
1990 (Chandigarh): Under the captaincy of Mohammad Azharuddin, Team India won the match by giving follow-on to Sri Lanka.
1994 (Lucknow): Under the leadership of Mohammad Azharuddin, the Indian team defeated Sri Lanka by giving follow-on.
1994 (Bengaluru): This year, once again under the captaincy of Azharuddin, India won the match by giving follow-on to Sri Lanka.
2009 (Kanpur): Under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, Team India won on home ground by forcing Sri Lanka to play follow-on.
2017 (Colombo): Under the captaincy of Virat Kohli, India won by giving follow-on to Sri Lanka in its own home.
2017 (Pallekele): In the same series, again under the captaincy of Virat Kohli, India registered a big victory by giving follow-on.
2022 (Mohali): Under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, the Indian team maintained the winning streak by giving follow-on to Sri Lanka.
2026 (Colombo): Under the captaincy of Shubhman Gill, Team India gave follow-on to Sri Lanka and the match was drawn. This has happened for the first time in India vs Sri Lanka Test history.
Sri Lanka's resilience with the bat ensures that only three wickets fall on the final day. The two teams shake hands after a hard-fought Test, which ends in a draw.#TeamIndia win the series 1-0.
Details – https://t.co/Uh4Xgn8rB5pic.twitter.com/spxoqmBzct
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 27, 2026
How did Sri Lanka save the Colombo Test even after getting follow-on?
In this match against Sri Lanka, after winning the toss and batting first, Team India declared the innings after scoring 503 runs for 9 wickets, in response to which Sri Lanka's first innings was reduced to 290 runs and the Indian team called them to play follow on. After falling badly in the first innings, Sri Lanka showed amazing spirit in the second innings while playing follow on.
A victory in the first Test at Galle and a closely contested second Test ending in a draw at Colombo.
India won the series 1–0. #SLvINDpic.twitter.com/SjCwxmZtIS
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 27, 2026
Sonal Dinusha was the biggest reason for Colombo test draw
The biggest reason for the draw of this match was Sri Lanka's emerging batsman Sonal Dinusha, who scored historic centuries in both the innings of the match and snatched the victory from Team India. Sonal Dinusha stood like a wall in front of the Indian spinners. He dashed India's hopes of victory by playing a brilliant century of 133 unbeaten runs in the second innings.
Sonal Dinusha, take a bow 🙌
The eighth Sri Lankan batsman to score two hundreds in a Test match – it's his third in four innings this series 😮 pic.twitter.com/lYbuZpEwFE
— Cricinfo (@cricinfo) August 27, 2026
Sri Lanka's lower order batsmen showed their strength
The Colombo pitch did not break as much as expected on the fifth day. The batsmen got help in playing spin and the Indian bowlers could not quickly take the remaining 4 wickets of Sri Lanka on the last day. Dinusha also got good support from the lower order batsmen of Sri Lanka, who did not lose wickets by spending time at the crease and on the fifth day, the Sri Lankan team took the match to the third session and made it a draw.
Sonal Dinusha and Keshara Nuwantha took over the innings on the fourth day.
Sri Lanka, who came to play follow-on on the fourth day, quickly lost 6 wickets, after which Sonal Dinusha and Keshara Nuwantha handled the innings and saved it from being all out. In this way the match went to the fifth day. By the end of the fourth day's play, Sri Lanka had scored 229 runs for 6 wickets. After this, on the fifth day, Sonal Dinusha and Keshara Nuwantha made a partnership of 112 runs for the 7th wicket and took the match away from the grip of Team India. After the dismissal of Keshara Nuwantha, Sonal Dinusha got good support from Lahiru Kumara and stood at the other end. Both players drew the match in the third or last session of the fifth day. Indian bowlers remained yearning for wickets. Lahiru Kumara showed amazing patience on the field. Facing 90 balls, he scored 12 unbeaten runs.
Also read: 'I don't think I can do anything different…' Indian captain Shubman Gill gave an excuse after the Colombo Test was drawn, said this at WTC