SL's Pasindu Sooriyabandara slams 80 in his second Test: Stats
What's the story
Pasindu Sooriyabandara has been the lone warrior for Sri Lanka in the ongoing second Test against India in Colombo. He scored a brilliant 80 on Day 3 despite the regular fall of wickets at the other end. Notably, this is just Sooriyabandara's second Test appearance, as the series opener marked his international debut. On this note, we look at Sooriyabandara's performance and stats.
Match progress
Sooriyabandara powers the home team
India had declared their first innings at a whopping total of 503/9 on Day 2.
Sri Lanka's innings started on a shaky note as they were reduced to 35/3.
However, Sooriyabandara and Kamindu Mendis (32) staged a remarkable recovery with an 87-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
Sooriyabandara mixed caution with aggression in his innings, hitting nine boundaries.
The batter continued to tackle the bowlers well before falling to Ravindra Jadeja in the 45th over.
Sri Lanka were 171/6 at the time of his dismissal.
Debut
Unusual debut for Sooriyabandara
Sooriyabandara's Test debut came in unusual circumstances as he was named Dinesh Chandimal's concussion substitute.
The latter had suffered an injury to his right shoulder and neck after diving to save a boundary in the opening game.
Sooriyabandara's maiden outing was far from memorable as he was dismissed for a golden duck.
However, the 26-year-old displayed his talent in the second game.
Stats
5,000 FC runs loading for Sooriyabandara
Sooriyabandara's 80 came off 133 balls as he smashed nine fours during his stay.
This was his 24th fifty in First-Class cricket, as he also owns 14 tons, as per Cricinfo.
Playing his 70th match, the batter has raced to 4,973 runs with an impressive average of 53-plus across 104 innings.
Sri Lanka's second innings in the game could see Sooriyabandara get past the 5,000-run landmark.