2024-03-25 10:32:29
At one time, it was said that Kumar Sangakkara would have scored a flood of centuries when he came down to play against Bangladesh. Statistics say that. Sangakkara scored double centuries in two innings in two separate Tests against Bangladesh in two consecutive years. Scored 142 and 105 runs in 2013. 319 and 105 in Chittagong in 2014. Among them, he holds the only record of triple century and century in the same match. Sangakkara is no more. But the successor has made it right. Who are one step ahead of their predecessors.
Think Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis. Sylhet Test two scored a pair of centuries. Dhananjaya and Kamindu played two innings of 102 runs in the first innings. They also scored a century in the second innings. Kamindu scored 100 runs after Dhananjaya scored 108 runs. That is history.
This is the third time in Test cricket that two batsmen scored double centuries in two innings. In 1974 Chappell Brothers scored a double century in two innings. Ian Chappell scored 145 and Greg Chappell scored 247 in the first innings. In the second innings, they again scored a century with the bat. Ian Chappell scored 121, Greg Chappell scored 133 runs by destroying the New Zealand bowlers.
Exactly 40 years later in 2014 Pakistan’s Mizbah Ul Haq and Azhar Ali scored double centuries in two innings against Australia. In the first innings, Azhar Ali scored 109, Mizbah ul Haque scored 101 runs. In the next innings, Azhar Ali scored 100 and Mizbah ul Haque scored 101 runs.
Dhananjaya and Kamindu wrote their names in this elite club for 10 years. A pair of 202 runs in the first innings lifted the team from the edge of the ditch. After losing 5 wickets for 57 runs, the guests gave a tough reply to Bangladesh in their pair. This time in the second innings, they have a huge lead with the bat. Sri Lanka started the third day’s play with 119 runs for 5 wickets on Sunday. Vishwa Fernando gets out to add 7 runs to the scoreboard.
From there the fight between Dhananjaya and Kamindu started. Sending Bangladesh on the backfoot, the bats spread the light and scored two runs. The way he was scoring runs by playing shots around the wicket, it seems that scoring runs is a very easy task.
Dhananjaya took the century first. Kamindu did not disappoint after his dismissal. In the blink of an eye, he also reached the magical figure of three digits. Earlier, Kumar Sangakkara (2013 and 2014) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (2009) scored two centuries in one Test against Bangladesh. In that list, Dhananjaya and Kamindu picked up their names very easily. Dhananjaya will be a bit ahead in the pages of history. His feat as a captain is the first.