2 min readUpdated: Aug 19, 2026 01:30 PM IST
India returned to winning ways in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle as they floored Sri Lanka by 165 runs in the opening Test of the two-match series in Galle on Wednesday.
IND vs SL Galle Test Highlights
Led by Manav Suthar 10-wicket match haul and a six-fer (6/55) in the final innings, India wrapped up a dominant win in the end with a session to spare.
The Lankans resumed their pursuit of a daunting 362-run target on Day 5 at 84 for four after rain and bad light interrupted play late overnight.
With lingering rain conditions grabbing overs and sizeable passages of play over the last four days of play, India were in a race against time to ensure they nabbed the remaining wickets in time, to keep their hopes for the WTC final next year alive.
First-innings centurion Sonal Dinusha once again put on a resolute face alongside captain Dhananjaya de Silva to delay India’s dominance over the result. However, Suthar’s post-Lunch precision breached the rearguard effort with three scalps in six deliveries, dismissing Dinusha, Prabath Jayasuriya and Lahiru Kumar in the 76th over.
In only his second Test, the Rajasthan spinner bagged his maiden 10-wicket match haul in his subsequent over, castling debutant Keshara Nuwantha for the final wicket as he walked away with figures of 10/131.
The win marked India’s fifth victory in 10 matches this WTC edition, a first their win over the West Indies in Ahmedabad last October. India had since lost two home Tests against South Africa in Kolkata and Guwahati in November 2025 and won the one-off Test outside the WTC assignments in June this year.
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India’s points percentage improved from 48.14 to 53.33, still remaining fifth on the standings behind Australia (77.77), South Africa (75.00), New Zealand (72.22), and Bangladesh (66.67).
