Hosts Sri Lanka has been pegged back on the very first day of the opening Test at Galle after losing out Asela Gunaratne in the form of an injury. The all-rounder was fielding at the slips when Dhawan edged a fullish length delivery straight to his hands but it struck him on the left thumb and popped out. He looked in utter discomfort and left the field almost immediately.
He has now been rushed to Colombo for an operation on his left thumb and won’t take any further part in the match. The news was broken by Cricbuzz through their official twitter account. It is bound to be a huge loss for the hosts given his all-round abilities but now they have to play the remaining Test with only 10 players which will definitely give India an added advantage.
Here is the video that led to Asela Gunaratne being ruled out of this Test:
https://twitter.com/abhishkpandey29/status/890088907571855361
Dhawan executed some gorgeous shots to perfection and in the company of Cheteshwar Pujara, the duo played some terrific brand of cricket which ensured they reached a commanding 136/1 in the post lunch session. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan stand-in captain Rangana Herath had told prior to this encounter that the Sri Lankans need to play out of their skin to harbour any sort of chances against the No.1 side in the world.
It is pretty unfortunate from Sri Lanka’s part to lose out Gunaratne as they have already been without their regular captain Dinesh Chandimal after he was diagnosed with pneumonia. So with their backs against the wall, it remains to be seen how the home team fairs in the remainder of the Test.