Chandimal Taken to Hospital After Shoulder and Neck Injury

Dinesh Chandimal of Sri Lanka was taken to hospital for a precautionary scan after injured his shoulder and neck while diving to save a four at the boundary on the fourth morning of the first Test against India in Galle.

In the fourth over of India’s second innings, Chandimal ran from deep midwicket to deep square leg before throwing himself horizontally to snare KL Rahul’s shot. Despite saving two runs, he landed hard on his shoulder and rolled legs-over-torso, his neck and shoulder contorting beneath him.

He collapsed on the other side of the border and appeared to be in severe pain while teammates, a physiotherapist, and a doctor responded to him. Several times, he was seen grasping his neck, head, and shoulder.

He eventually rose to his feet and entered the dressing rooms, albeit carefully. Pasindu Sooriyabandara, a substitute fielder, replaced him on the pitch.

If the scans reveal a major neck injury, Sri Lanka may replace Chandimal with a concussion substitute for the rest of the Test.

Sooriyabandara is the squad’s spare top-order hitter. Chandimal had made only four runs in Sri Lanka’s first innings, when they scored 284 in response to India’s 462, giving the visitors a 178-run lead before the fourth day of play.