Suthar Spins Sri Lanka Out as India Take Massive Lead

News Desk

Galle: India tightened their grip on the rain-affected first Test against Sri Lanka after debutant Manav Suthar claimed four wickets and Ravindra Jadeja reached the landmark of 350 Test wickets on the third day in Galle.

Sri Lanka were dismissed for 284, giving India a first-innings lead of 178 runs and leaving the visitors with a strong opportunity to push for a result despite lost playing time.

India had Sri Lanka struggling at 90 for five and appeared to be in a position to enforce the follow-on. However, Sonal Dinusha and Niroshan Dickwella turned the innings around with a 146-run partnership for the sixth wicket.

Dinusha completed his maiden Test century, while Dickwella made 80 before Prasidh Krishna ended the partnership with a delivery that found the outside edge. His dismissal also meant Dickwella continued to wait for his first Test hundred, extending his unwanted record for the most Test half-centuries without reaching three figures.

The biggest breakthrough for India came from Suthar, who made an immediate impact on his Test debut. The left-arm spinner struck with his very first delivery, getting the glove of Dinesh Chandimal with a ball that turned sharply after pitching on a good length.

Suthar continued to trouble Sri Lanka’s batters with bounce and turn before removing Lahiru Udara and later completing his four-wicket haul by dismissing Prabath Jayasuriya and Lahiru Kumara.

His four wickets came primarily from a disciplined good-length approach, with more than half of his deliveries landing in the 4-5 metre zone.

Jadeja also played a key role with the ball, claiming three wickets. His third wicket, Keshara Nuwantha, also brought up a significant personal milestone as Jadeja became only the ninth spinner in Test history to reach 350 wickets.

Kuldeep Yadav contributed with a wicket after Shubman Gill produced an outstanding one-handed catch at short cover to dismiss Kamindu Mendis.

Sri Lanka’s resistance was largely built around Dinusha and Dickwella, who took advantage of the older, softer ball and attacked India’s spinners with sweeps and aggressive strokeplay. Dinusha’s century was the highlight of the partnership before Jadeja finally removed him.

India had little time to add to their advantage after Sri Lanka were bowled out. Bad light ended play early, costing the visitors 13 overs of potential batting time.

With India holding a 178-run first-innings advantage and limited time remaining in the rain-hit Test, the visitors now face the challenge of balancing the need for quick runs with enough time to bowl Sri Lanka out again and force a result.