Gill praises Sri Lanka's fightback after India held to draw in second Test

Sri Lanka staged a remarkable fightback to secure a draw against India in the second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club, thwarting India's victory bid. Sonal Dinusha anchored the hosts' resistance with a magnificent unbeaten 133, guiding them to 429/9 in 154 overs after India had enforced the follow-on. Despite India's dominant first-innings lead of 213 runs, they could not bowl Sri Lanka out for a second time.

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Honestly, nothing. I mean, we fielded for about 250 overs, three days consecutively, and we did everything we can. They played brilliantly. I think the batters played really well, and they had a lot of skill and a little bit of luck going their way. So I don't think we could have done anything differently.

Indian captain Shubman Gill acknowledged his team's efforts, stating they had done everything possible to secure the win. "Honestly, nothing. I mean, we fielded for about 250 overs, three days consecutively, and we did everything we can. They played brilliantly," Gill said after the match. He attributed Sri Lanka's success to skilled batting and a bit of luck, emphasizing that his team could not have done anything differently.

Gill lauded Sri Lanka's resilience under immense pressure, viewing it as a valuable lesson for his own side. "The position that they were under, under immense pressure, and the way they came back was tremendous to see," he commented. He noted that discussions during lunch and tea breaks confirmed his team's belief that they had exhausted all possible avenues for victory.

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A lot of positives for us, even learning from the opposition. I think the position that they were under, under immense pressure, and the way they came back was tremendous to see. It sort of tells us, and we were talking at lunch and at tea time, that I don't think that we could have done (anything) differently.

Despite the drawn match, India secured the series 1-0, having won the first Test by 165 runs. Gill highlighted several positives from the series, praising the contributions of Devdutt Padikkal, KL Rahul, Manav Suthar, and Prasidh Krishna. He stressed the importance of maintaining consistency in preparation and performance, both on and off the field, expressing excitement for the team's future prospects.

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Very excited. I think really exciting times for us. Very important for us to be consistent on and off the field, with our preparation and the way that we perform and how we go about our things. And I think so far there have been a lot of positives for us.