Fringed by a Dutch fort steeped in permanence and an Indian Ocean frothing at the edges, the Galle International Stadium is always a thing of beauty and a joy forever. In this sublime theatre of aesthetics, Shubman Gill’s men found their happy space as India defeated Sri Lanka by 165 runs in the first Test that concluded here on Wednesday afternoon.
Trailing by 371 runs, and with hopes of an impossible chase eroding, the host was bowled out for 206 in the second innings, leaving India with a 1-0 lead in the two-Test series. The cricket bandwagon will now move to Colombo for the second Test commencing on August 23.
The weather remained clear through the concluding day’s play, in which left-arm spinner Manav Suthar (six for 55) prospered. His three-wicket strike in one over snuffed out the Sri Lankan resistance. Sonal Dinusha (84), who until then had played with poise, nibbled one down the leg-side and found Dhruv Jurel at leg-slip.
Immediately, Prabath Jayasuriya was bowled as the ball curled past his bat and disturbed the stumps. Lahiru Kumara resisted the hat-trick ball but edged the last delivery of the same over, and Rishabh Pant grabbed the catch. Eventually, Keshara Nuwantha, who had kept the visitors at bay for a while, became Suthar’s last victim as his citadel got rattled and Gill’s men became an exultant lot.
Just as the presentation function was about to commence, a sudden burst of rain forced players and organisers to seek the dry confines of the pavilion. A few minutes later, the sun emerged again to reiterate Galle’s whimsical interactions with nature.
Earlier in the morning, resuming at the overnight 84 for four, Sri Lanka found sustenance and hope through skipper Dhananjaya de Silva and Dinusha. The duo offered a mix of classic stonewalling and the odd shot as a dogged partnership took shape. Initially, Gill used Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj in a mix of spin and pace.
The Indian skipper kept a clutch of fielders directly under Dhananjaya’s gaze, trying to cramp the batter. Dhananjaya square-drove Jadeja for four, survived two lbw appeals, and then cut one past the ropes to get to his 50. Not to be left behind, southpaw Dinusha struck a six off Kuldeep Yadav and reached his 50.
Just as a barren first session seemed India’s fate, Dhananjaya (59) top-edged a sweep off Jadeja and the ball descended towards Suthar at short fine-leg. The fifth-wicket 95-run alliance ended, and once this breach was effected, the Indians gained their voice.
Next man Niroshan Dickwella attempted a few reverse-sweeps, but when seamer Prasidh Krishna pitched it short and angled across, the batter awkwardly slashed and fatally edged. Sri Lanka moved to 175 for six at lunch, down for the count with India fancying its chances. The expectation became a reality soon in the afternoon, just 36 minutes after the break.
Published on Aug 19, 2026
