Chandimal Stands Firm Amid Sri Lanka's Struggles Against Australia

Dinesh Chandimal led Sri Lanka's fightback with an unbeaten 63 as they reached 136 for five against Australia. The visitors' commanding first innings left the hosts trailing by 518 runs. Sri Lanka's top order struggled against Australia's precise bowling on a spin-friendly pitch.

Amid Sri Lanka's challenging innings against Australia, Dinesh Chandimal stood out with a gritty unbeaten 63, helping his side post 136 for five by lunch. The first Test saw Australia setting a daunting first innings score of 654 for six declared, leaving Sri Lanka trailing by a substantial 518 runs.

The gap in performance between the two teams was evident. While Australia's batsmen showed remarkable patience and skill on a spin-friendly pitch, Sri Lanka's top order collapsed under pressure. Significant contributions from Usman Khawaja's double century, Josh Inglis' debut hundred, and another test century for Steve Smith in Galle placed Australia in a dominant position.

As the home side resumed at 44-3 on Friday, their prospects of mounting a comeback quickly dissipated. Kamindu Mendis added only 15 runs before a leg-side catch dismissed him, triggering a downturn. Captain Dhananjaya de Silva's reckless approach worsened matters, as he was stumped attempting a charge against Matthew Kuhnemann, drawing a furious glare from Dinesh Chandimal, who remained resilient at the other end.

(With inputs from agencies.)