# Sonal Dinusha joins elite list with 80-plus in first three Test innings vs India 2026-08-25T16:32:42+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Sri Lanka's Sonal Dinusha has become only the third batter in Test history to score 80 or more runs in each of his first three innings against India, joining West Indies great Everton Weekes and Pakistan legend Zaheer Abbas. The 25-year-old left-hander remained unbeaten on 85 on the third day of the second Test in Colombo, following scores of 100 and 84 in the series opener in Galle. Dinusha's feat is the first since Abbas achieved it in 1978. He is also only the second Sri Lankan batter after Duleep Mendis to score a half-century in each of his first three Test innings against India. His 269 runs in the series is the most by a batter batting at number six or below against India in a series of two or fewer matches, breaking Craig McMillan's 23-year-old record. At stumps on day three, Sri Lanka were 265 for eight, still 238 runs behind India's first-innings total of 503 for nine. Dinusha was unbeaten on 85 off 137 balls, having added crucial lower-order partnerships with Keshara Nuwantha and Lahiru Kumara. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both sources cover the story as a neutral sports record, focusing on Dinusha's batting statistics and the historical company he joins. The coverage is uniform straight reporting with no political framing or editorial commentary. The key implication is that Dinusha's emergence provides Sri Lanka with a reliable middle-order batter during a transition period, though India's strong first-innings total leaves the hosts needing a significant lower-order fight to avoid an innings defeat. The match resumes on day four with Sri Lanka 238 runs behind. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Straight match report with records and statistics, no political or editorial slant - timesnownews.com (neutral report) Record-focused reporting with no government or editorial framing This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-25T19:42:02+00:00. Tags: Everton Weekes, India, Ravindra Jadeja, Sonal Dinusha, Sri Lanka, Zaheer Abbas Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/sonal-dinusha-third-batter-in-48-years-to-achieve-rare-feat-vs-india/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/sonal-dinusha-third-batter-in-48-years-to-achieve-rare-feat-vs-india/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/