India have given a strong reply to almost every question that was raised before the Sri Lanka tour.
Will the Indian batters be able to handle spin? Will they be able to overcome the disappointment of the 2-0 home series defeat against South Africa? Can India beat Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka? And, perhaps most importantly, what will happen to India’s spin department in the post-Ravichandran Ashwin era?
The first Test at Galle has answered plenty of those questions.
India defeated Sri Lanka by a huge margin of 165 runs, bowling the hosts out for 206 while defending a target of 372. India had earlier scored 462 in their first innings before dismissing Sri Lanka for 284, taking a lead of 178 runs.
India’s 193 in the second innings then pushed the target to 372.
And the biggest star of the victory was Manav Suthar, whose 10-wicket haul played a major role in giving India a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
Manav Suthar 10-Wicket Haul Answers India’s Spin Question
Before the series, much of the limelight was naturally on Ravindra Jadeja. He was India’s most experienced spinner, and everyone expected him to lead the spin attack from the front.
However, Suthar has delivered another emphatic performance, just two months after his dream Test debut against Afghanistan.
Suthar had taken 6/33 in the first innings and 1/29 in the second against Afghanistan, finishing his debut Test with seven wickets.
At Galle, he went one step further.
The 23-year-old left-arm spinner took 4/76 in Sri Lanka’s first innings before producing 6/55 in the second, completing his maiden 10-wicket match haul with figures of 10/131.
That means Suthar now has an incredible 17 wickets after only two Test matches.
For a bowler at such an early stage of his international career, it is a remarkable start.
Manav Suthar’s Magical Final Spell Ends Sri Lanka’s Resistance
The most interesting part of Suthar’s performance came towards the end of Sri Lanka’s second innings on the fifth day.
Sonal Dinusha was once again going strong. After scoring a century in the first innings, the left-hander had crossed fifty in the second innings as well and was trying to keep Sri Lanka alive.
At one stage, the Sri Lankan lower order started looking for boundaries. The intention was clear: put some pressure back on the Indian bowlers and score as many runs as possible.
Dinusha was particularly impressive.
But once Suthar found his rhythm again in the 76th over of Sri Lanka’s innings, it took him just 10 balls to rattle the lower order. He picked up four wickets in the last 10 balls he bowled in Sri Lanka’s second innings.
Manav Suthar’s last ten balls vs Sri Lanka in second Innings of First Test 🏏
W W 0 0 0 W 0 4 2 W
He completes his first ten-wicket haul in Tests to seal a 165-run for India as they go 1-0 up in the series 🔥 pic.twitter.com/9pdAkfCciO
— CricInformer (@CricInformer) August 19, 2026
Dinusha eventually fell for 84 off 128 balls, and Suthar ran through the lower order. Sri Lanka, who had shown some resistance, were suddenly bundled out for 206 in 77.4 overs.
Suthar finished the innings with 6/55 from 23.4 overs.
The left-arm spinner was disciplined, consistent and persistent. More importantly, he was getting enough turn and bounce to keep the Sri Lankan batters uncomfortable.
On a ground where Prabath Jayasuriya has built an excellent Test record, it was India’s inexperienced left-arm spinner who eventually walked away with the biggest bowling performance of the match.
Devdutt Padikkal Makes the Most of His Opportunity
If Suthar was the star with the ball, Devdutt Padikkal was India’s biggest performer with the bat.
Sai Sudharsan’s injury opened the door for Padikkal, and the Karnataka batter grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
Playing only his third Test, Padikkal scored a brilliant 167 off 230 balls, hitting 15 fours and one six.
More importantly, it was not just a century. It was the kind of big hundred India needed after choosing to bat first in conditions where the pitch gradually became more difficult.
Padikkal had previously played Tests against England at Dharamsala and Australia at Perth but was yet to score a Test century.
At Galle, he converted his opportunity into a big one.
KL Rahul also played an important innings of 82 off 175 balls, while Dhruv Jurel contributed 51. Their efforts helped India reach 462, which eventually proved to be the foundation of the victory.
Padikkal’s innings will also give the Indian team management something to think about when Sai Sudharsan becomes available again.
Rishabh Pant’s 66 Gives India Enough Runs to Attack
India’s second innings was much more difficult.
Sri Lanka’s bowlers found assistance from the surface and dismissed India for 193 in 48.5 overs.
However, Rishabh Pant’s 66 off 69 balls changed the situation.
Padikkal also contributed 44 off 75 balls, but Pant’s aggressive approach was important because India needed quick runs rather than simply spending time at the crease.
His innings pushed India’s overall lead to 371, setting Sri Lanka a target of 372.
It was big enough to put the hosts in a difficult situation. They could not simply defend for the entire innings, but attacking India’s spinners on a wearing fifth-day Galle surface was equally dangerous.
India’s bowlers could therefore keep attacking with their preferred lines and lengths.
The result was Sri Lanka being dismissed for 206.
Sonal Dinusha the Biggest Positive for Sri Lanka
Despite the defeat, Sri Lanka have found a very exciting prospect in Sonal Dinusha.
Playing his fourth Test, Dinusha scored his maiden Test hundred in the first innings, making exactly 100 off 168 balls.
He followed it with another excellent innings of 84 off 128 balls in the fourth innings.
What impressed the most was his method against spin.
Dinusha was comfortable using the sweep, rotating the strike and using his feet. He could also go back and play spin off the back foot. There was a clear plan in his batting rather than simply trying to survive against Jadeja, Kuldeep and Suthar.
Across the two innings, he scored 184 runs, and Sri Lanka would have been in a much worse position without him.
Niroshan Dickwella also played an important first-innings knock of 80 off 115 balls, while captain Dhananjaya de Silva made 59 off 151 balls in the second innings.
Sri Lanka Have Plenty to Think About Before Second Test
Sri Lanka will have several questions to answer before the second Test in Colombo.
The first is their top order.
Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis were unavailable for the Galle Test, and Sri Lanka will hope to have their experienced batters back as soon as possible.
There are questions in the spin department as well.
Prabath Jayasuriya took 4/109 in the first innings and 3/43 in the second, giving him seven wickets in the match. However, India were still able to score heavily against Sri Lanka’s spin attack in the first innings.
Debutant Keshara Nuwantha had a difficult introduction to Test cricket. He picked up three wickets but conceded 175 runs from 39 overs in India’s first innings.
Sri Lanka will need to find a better way of controlling India’s batters in Colombo.
Galle Victory Keeps India’s WTC Hopes Alive
For India, this 165-run victory is important beyond just taking a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
The win keeps their hopes alive in the World Test Championship 2025-27 race, although India remain fifth in the standings.
Considering the questions surrounding this team before the series, the manner of victory should give them plenty of confidence.
Padikkal showed that India can still find ways to score big runs against spin. Pant again showed why his attacking batting is so valuable in Test cricket.
And most importantly, Suthar has shown that India may have found another serious wicket-taking spin option.
India will now want to win the second Test in Colombo and complete the series strongly before tougher assignments ahead.
For now, however, Galle belongs to Manav Suthar.
The Manav Suthar 10-wicket haul, including six wickets in the fourth innings, gave India a memorable 165-run victory and provided perhaps the biggest answer to the questions surrounding their spin attack.
Team India seals the 1st Test with a convincing 165-run victory against Sri Lanka🏏
📷: SonyLiv pic.twitter.com/4ucSEwiJQA
— CricInformer (@CricInformer) August 19, 2026