Manav Suthar's 10-wicket haul gives India massive win over Sri Lanka in 600th Test

The exceptionally gifted Manav Suthar came to India's rescue amid their recent red-ball struggles, claiming a match haul of 10 wickets as the visitors beat Sri Lanka by 165 runs in the first Test in Galle on Wednesday.

The victory gave India a 1-0 lead in the two-match series and made the occasion even more special as it came in the team's 600th Test.

Once Suthar claimed his 10th wicket of the match, India captain Shubman Gill must have heaved a sigh of relief, with heavy rain arriving barely five minutes after the game ended.

The win at a traditionally spin-friendly venue like Galle will boost India's confidence after their struggles against New Zealand and South Africa on similar surfaces at home.

Resuming the final day at 84/4 and needing another 288 runs for an improbable victory target, Sri Lanka delayed the inevitable for more than a session before being bowled out for 206, with Suthar running through the lower order in a decisive spell.

The 23-year-old left-arm spinner finished with 6/65 in the second innings, following his four-wicket haul in the first innings. It was also his second successive five-wicket haul in Tests, after he achieved the feat in his maiden Test against Afghanistan recently.

Sri Lanka began the post-lunch session at 175/6 and reached 199 without losing another wicket, raising brief hopes of an unlikely fightback.

But Suthar's return changed the course of the game. He removed Sonal Dinusha (84), Prabath Jayasuriya and Lahiru Kumara in the space of six balls in the 76th over, reducing Sri Lanka to 199/9.

Generating considerable turn and bounce from the Galle surface, Suthar then fittingly completed the victory by bowling Keshara Nuwantha to bring the game to an end.

India, however, had to wait longer than expected for victory after Sri Lanka's overnight pair, Dinusha and captain Dhananjaya de Silva, put up stubborn resistance during the opening session.

The pair added 95 runs off 202 balls and kept the Indian bowlers at bay for well over an hour. Like their Indian counterparts earlier in the match, the Sri Lankan batters relied heavily on the sweep and slog-sweep to counter the spinners.

Ravindra Jadeja eventually found a way through De Silva's defence. The veteran left-arm spinner extracted extra bounce, forcing De Silva into a top-edged sweep that landed safely in the hands of Suthar at short fine leg.

Niroshan Dickwella, who had played a sensible innings in Sri Lanka's first innings, appeared intent on reducing the deficit quickly. He attempted a couple of desperate slog-sweeps against Kuldeep Yadav and Jadeja before eventually falling to pacer Prasidh Krishna.

Once Dickwella departed, it was only a matter of minutes before India completed the job.
The second Test will begin at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo on August 23.