Sri Lanka may need to 'rethink' using spin-friendly pitches, says Dhananjaya

Having been beaten by an innings and 242 runs in the first Test, Sri Lanka fell to another heavy defeat in the second, losing by nine wickets on day four.

It is the first Test series Sri Lanka have lost to Australia since 2011, while this is just the third time they have suffered a nine-wicket defeat to a visiting side, and the first since Australia in 2022 (also in Galle).

Of the 19 home Tests Sri Lanka have played since 2020, 15 have been at Galle, with the hosts preferring to use spin as their go-to weapon, something that the surface lends to.

However, after suffering the defeats they did, Dhananjaya admitted it is worth reconsidering whether they play on spin-friendly tracks while at home.

"There's definitely a question of whether [we] are playing spin very well as batters," he said. "We'll have to rethink that.

"If you looked at how they played, they scored a lot of runs square [of the wicket] and understood that it's hard to defend on these pitches.

"We couldn't apply that ourselves with the pressure that they put on us. We have to think about whether we keep playing on pitches like this, or on pitches better suited to us."

Australia wrap up an extraordinary #WTC25 campaign with a 2-0 series sweep #SLvAUS pic.twitter.com/7QMy3jVolR

— ICC (@ICC) February 9, 2025

Dhananjaya also noted Sri Lanka’s inability to build on half-centuries throughout the series cost them.

Between the teams, there were six occasions of a batter making 50 or more. However, five of Australia's batters went on to claim centuries – including one double-ton – while Sri Lanka’s highest was an unbeaten 85.

"On these tracks, it's very hard to score, and we are always talking about how set batsmen need to score and get to 150 or 200 to get to a good total," he added.

"Not all the six or seven batters who play will get runs, but the players that do make starts have to really capitalise. Australia had about two batters who scored in each inning, but those batters made big ones."

Meanwhile, Steve Smith made history, becoming the first Australian player to make 200 Test catches and overtaking Ricky Ponting's record of 196.

Smith, acting as stand-in captain, was not needed in the second innings on Sunday, but scored 131 in the first, which followed 141 in the first Test.

"It was a really good series. We played really well from the outset," Smith said.

"The way the batters were able to adapt to the conditions was amazing. We scored enough runs through the series. All the bowlers did the job. [Mitchell] Starc was quick, and the spinners went to work.