Galle: Manav Suthar notched his maiden ten-wicket haul in Tests to guide India to a 165-run win over Sri Lanka in the first Test here.
Going 1-0 up in the two-match ICC World Test Championship series, India are currently fifth, rising one place in the WTC Standings with a PCT of 53.33.
Having lost their previous assignment in the ongoing cycle, a 2-0 home series defeat at the hands of South Africa, their latest triumph keeps them in the race for a spot in next year’s World Test Championship Final at The Oval. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, are sixth and have a PCT of 33.33.
Devdutt Padikkal was adjudged the Player of the Match for his 211 runs in the Test.
Chasing a total of 372, the hosts had lost four wickets by Stumps on Day 4. Dhananjaya de Silva (59) and Sonal Dinusha (84) compiled crucial runs in the middle order to keep them in the hunt.
Ravindra Jadeja would break the stand by dismissing Dhananjaya de Silva in the first session. Meanwhile, Manav Suthar, who made his Test debut for India against Afghanistan in June, went on to snap his second six-wicket haul.
Finishing with bowling figures of 6/55, Suthar ran through the home batting lineup, clinching the final four wickets, which included that of Sonal Dinusha.
The 25-year-old up his first innings ton with a valiant 84 off 128 deliveries in the second innings.
Earlier in the game, Devdutt Padikkal (167) and KL Rahul (82) led the proceedings with the bat, as India amassed a considerable 462 in the first innings, setting the tone for their win.
“We were trying to get the wickets as quickly as we could,” Rahul said about the team’s game plan on Day 5.
“Obviously, they had a decent partnership and once we broke that partnership, we felt like we were right back in the game, and we could, once we got into their tail, we knew that we could get the wickets early.”
The caravan will now move to Colombo, where the two teams will square off for the series decider starting August 23.
