Mumbai, Aug. 29 -- The 2026 Test series between India and Sri Lanka comes at an important time for both countries, as both are in the middle of a transition. Not long ago, the two teams enjoyed a healthy rivalry, matching each other player for player. Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas led the Sri Lankan charge against an Indian side featuring Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, dishing out tough, memorable contests. For Sri Lanka the transition has lasted longer than expected. Since Jayawardene and Sangakkara retired, Sri Lanka hasn't had batters worthy of being the pillars around which the lineup can revolve, nor have they found world-class bowlers. The end of the Mahela-Sanga era coincided with the rise of the Kohli-Pujara-Rahane era for India. India dominated the bilateral competitions starting from the mid-2010s. The fighting draw in the Colombo Test on Thursday, ended Sri Lanka's run of six straight defeats to India on home soil. The home team's new crop of young middle-order batters showed impressive skills and temperament to put up a good fight and produce a memorable series. More than the result, both camps have reason to be happy with a view of long-term gains. It has raised hopes that the next time the two sides meet, they will be more evenly matched, leading to a revival of their rivalry. India's middle order was desperate for more quality options before settling on the right long-term players and the impressive performances of Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel willbring some joy. A batting line-up of KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiwal, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Paddikal and Jurel, looks balanced and strong. In bowling, left-arm spinner Manav Suthar excelled for the second straight series, finishing as the leading wicket-taker with 16 wickets. For Sri Lanka, young Pasindu Sooriyabandara and Sonal Dinusha (420 runs at an average of 140) both staked a claim for long-term Test prospects. Getting a chance in the absence of injured first-choice senior batters, the two provided enough evidence to develop into fine specialist Test batters. Add to it the fact that 27-year-old Kamindu Mendis is on the way to establishing his credentials as a solid middle-order player, averaging 53.65 plus in 18 Tests. In tough times, this young crop of batters has emerged as a breath of fresh air for Sri Lankan cricket. Coach Gary Kirsten is most excited by Sri Lanka's breakout star of the series, Dinusha: "What I was encouraged by was when I watched him in the West Indies, I saw that he really thrives in tough situations. I love the way he plays Test cricket. He thinks about it." Dinusha and Sooriyabandara have offered new hope but the key will be how Sri Lanka cricket handles them. This could be the beginning of something nice for Sri Lankan Test cricket but the young players will need to sustain their performance over time. Unlike Mahela and Sangakkara who had the time to first fully learn the longer format and then move into the T20 format, none of the current players want to be just Test specialists. The challenge for Dinusha & Co is to immediately find the balance between T20 cricket and Test cricket. In this day and age, that is often easier said than done but Sri Lanka will hope they can make the right choice....