India seal a 165-run win in Galle as Manav Suthar’s 10-wicket haul sinks Sri Lanka

GALLE, Sri Lanka (AP) — India won the first test in Galle by 165 runs just minutes before a heavy downpour might have saved Sri Lanka on the fifth day Wednesday.

Left-arm spinner Manav Suthar took three wickets in the 76th over of Sri Lanka’s second innings and cleaned up the last wicket in the 78th to dismiss the home side for 206.

Suthar picked 6-55 and completed his maiden 10-wicket haul in his second test. At 24, he’s the youngest India spinner to take 10 in an overseas test.

India scored 462 and 193 and Devdutt Padikkal led with 167 and 44 to be the player of the match. Sri Lanka responded with 284 runs and began a vain chase of a winning target of 372.

It lost four wickets on Tuesday afternoon and its main resistance between Sonal Dinusha and captain Dhananjaya de Silva was broken on the last morning. From 175-6 at lunch, Sri Lanka lost the last four wickets for 31 runs across 64 deliveries.

“We knew one big shower was going to come and we didn’t want to delay the game,” India batter Lokesh Rahul said. “They had one big partnership but we knew if we could break that we could get into their tail. It was a great test match. The wicket played really well all five days.”

India won its 600th test and took a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. The second test begins in Colombo on Sunday.

In the morning, Dinusha and de Silva looked to bat out time. They previously endured 74 deliveries before stumps on day four, and extended their partnership to 202 balls faced.

Both batters crossed 50 in the morning.

Ravindra Jadeja made the breakthrough for India, getting de Silva caught at short fine leg attempting a sweep. De Silva made 59 from 151 balls in just over three hours. He and Dinusha combined for 95 runs.

Four overs later, close-in fielder Yashasvi Jaiswal played on Niroshan Dickwella’s patience as the batter tried to hit Prasidh Krishna and was caught behind on 10.

Dinusha and Keshara Nuwantha made it to lunch but Dinusha’s dismissal after the break triggered the stunning collapse leading to India’s win.

Suthar ended Dinusha’s resistance. He was caught down leg, edging a wayward delivery from the spinner. The first innings centurion also top-scored for Sri Lanka in the second innings: 84 off 128 balls.

Prabath Jayasuriya went next ball and Lahiru Kumara denied Suthar a hat trick but was caught behind after facing another three balls.

Suthar then bowled Nuwantha to claim all of the wickets after lunch and his second six-wicket haul in tests. Previously, he picked 6-33 against Afghanistan on his debut in June. He took 10-131 in Galle.

“He has been bowling magnificently,” India captain Shubman Gill said. “Looks like a very promising guy and someone who can play for India for a long time.”

Gill also praised Padikkal: “He was magnificent to watch. It’s important to get hundreds but even after getting a hundred he got a big one.”

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