An all-round performance from the India national cricket team saw them demolish the Sri Lanka national cricket team in the first Test at Galle on Wednesday. Courtesy of the win, Shubman Gill and his troops have got their World Test Championship campaign back on track after an ordinary run of results at home in the white-ball format. It was a complete team effort from Team India. Still, two young standout performers outshone everybody else — Devdutt Padikkal with the bat and spinner Manav Suthar with the red cherry in hand.
It was Devdutt Padikkal who won the Player of the Match award after India’s 165-run win over Sri Lanka. But Suthar’s match-winning bowling performance, a 10-wicket haul, was equally hard to ignore. Padikkal’s maiden Test century proved decisive as the left-hander scored 167 in India’s first innings, helping the visitors build a substantial lead before adding another crucial 44 in the second innings. His combined 211 runs made him the standout batter in India’s commanding victory, while Suthar’s 10 wickets ensured Sri Lanka could not fight their way back into the contest.
IND vs SL 1st Test: Devdutt Padikkal Wins Player of the Match vs Sri Lanka
Padikkal’s 167 was the foundation of India’s first-innings total of 462. Batting at No. 3, the Karnataka batter handled the Galle surface with authority and produced his maiden Test century at a crucial stage of the match. His innings helped India secure a 178-run first-innings lead and put Sri Lanka under pressure.
Padikkal was not done there. He returned in the second innings to score a crucial 44, helping India set Sri Lanka a daunting 372-run target. His 211 runs across the Test ultimately earned him the Player of the Match award.
IND vs SL 1st Test: Manav Suthar’s 10-Wicket Haul Was Match-Winning
If Padikkal laid the foundation with the bat, Suthar put the finishing touches on India’s victory. The 24-year-old left-arm spinner claimed 4/76 in Sri Lanka’s first innings before producing a sensational 6/55 in the fourth innings, finishing with 10 wickets in only his second Test.
Suthar’s performance also saw him enter the record books. He became the youngest Indian to claim a 10-wicket haul in an away Test, bettering the age benchmarks of Indian spin greats R Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh. He also joined an elite group of Indian bowlers to achieve the feat overseas, with Harbhajan having previously taken a 10-wicket haul in Galle.
With Sri Lanka bowled out for 206 while chasing 372, Suthar’s second-innings spell sealed a memorable 165-run victory for India. Padikkal may have taken home the official Player of the Match award, but Suthar’s 10-wicket haul was every bit as influential in India’s triumph.
