Galle: Manav Suthar claimed his maiden ten-wicket haul in Tests as India beat Sri Lanka by 165 runs in the first Test in Galle, moving 1-0 up in the two-match ICC World Test Championship series.
The win lifts India to fifth in the WTC standings, up one place, with a percentage points tally (PCT) of 53.33. It comes after India’s previous assignment in the cycle ended in a 2-0 home series defeat to South Africa, and it keeps them in the hunt for a place in next year’s World Test Championship final at The Oval. Sri Lanka drop to sixth on a PCT of 33.33.
Devdutt Padikkal was named Player of the Match for his 211 runs across the Test.
Suthar finishes the job
Chasing 372 to win, Sri Lanka had lost four wickets by stumps on day four, with Dhananjaya de Silva (59) and Sonal Dinusha (84) putting together crucial runs in the middle order to keep the hosts in the contest.
Ravindra Jadeja broke that stand early in the first session on the final day, removing de Silva. Suthar, who made his Test debut against Afghanistan in June, then picked up his second six-wicket haul in Tests.
He finished with figures of 6 for 55, running through the rest of the Sri Lankan order and claiming the last four wickets, including Dinusha’s.
Earlier in the match, Padikkal (167) and KL Rahul (82) had led India’s batting as the side posted 462 in the first innings, setting up the eventual win.
“We were trying to get the wickets as quickly as we could,” Rahul said of India’s approach on the final day. “Obviously, they had a decent partnership and once we broke that partnership, we felt like we were right back in the game. Once we got into their tail, we knew that we could get the wickets early.”
The series now moves to Colombo, where the two sides meet in the decider starting August 23.
Reflecting on his recent run of scores, Padikkal, picking up the Player of the Match award, said, “Started in Dharamsala, then Perth, could not have asked for anything more from this game in Galle,” he said. “The wicket had its natural wear and tear, was a good Test wicket. It turned a lot more from the third day onwards. In the end, it was all about who came out on top with their skillset. It was a bit of a slow wicket, was not offering a lot of bite, so left-handed batters were able to negate the left-arm spinners.”
Captain Shubman Gill called it “a very satisfying win”. “We were in a comfortable position, but were not sure if the match would go on because of the weather. The team responded well,” he said. On India’s second-innings batting, he added: “We wanted to get around 400 in the third innings. The wicket was not easy to score on at will, so we were looking to play more aggressively. We were unsure of how many overs we would be able to bowl on days four and five, and in that process we lost a few wickets, but we were still in a comfortable position.”
Gill had praise for both his standout performers. “He has been bowling magnificently. He looks like a very promising guy and someone who can play for India for a long time,” he said of Suthar. On Padikkal, he said: “He is magnificent to watch. It’s important to get hundreds, but even after getting a hundred, he got a big one. Being in a competitive match and in a comfortable position, the way he batted and dominated in the second innings was great to watch.”
On India’s wider goal in the cycle, Gill said: “That is the ultimate goal. Test wins do not come easy, and this one is delightful.”
Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva said his side had stayed competitive for much of the match. “I thought from the second day onwards, we were in the game. The boys fought hard, even in the fourth innings. It is not easy batting fourth in Galle. It was a good game,” he said.
On the pitch, he added: “Good to bat on for the first three days. Obviously the fourth innings would not be easy in Galle. The starts Rahul and Padikkal got, they made them big and put us under pressure.” Asked whether the toss had played a role, de Silva said: “Maybe, yeah. They won the toss, got the runs on the board, and with our batting, we lost wickets and it went downhill from there.”