Galle, Aug 20 (IANS) Player of the Match Devdutt Padikkal praised young left-arm spinner Manav Suthar for his exceptional control after India defeated Sri Lanka by 165 runs in the opening Test at the Galle International Stadium in Galle, Sri Lanka.
Suthar, playing only his second Test, produced a match-winning performance on a sluggish surface, claiming 6-55 in Sri Lanka’s second innings to complete a ten-wicket haul in the match. His figures of 10-101 helped India bowl Sri Lanka out for 206 while defending 372.
“You can tell that he’s meant for this level. I think the amount of control he has in his bowling is exceptional, and when you have something like that, who can just keep going at the same spot again and again, it’s really, really special,” Padikkal said in a video released by the BCCI on X. “I’m sure he’ll continue to develop, and I think we have a really good left-hand spinner in our hands,” he added.
Suthar’s decisive spell came after Sri Lanka had threatened to frustrate India through Sonal Dinusha and Dhananjaya de Silva. Dinusha made 84 in the second innings after scoring a century in the first, while de Silva contributed 59.
Padikkal said India’s patience and discipline were crucial on a surface that was not easy to bowl on.
“It wasn’t the easiest of wickets to bowl on. I think we needed a lot of patience to just keep chipping away as long as possible because they were playing some really good cricket as well,” he said.
“I think they batted really well, especially Sonal. I think in both innings he was exceptional, and when you have people playing at the highest level, it’s important that we continue to keep working on our things. We did that really well. We kept plugging away, and I think eventually the patience showed in one over,” he added.
Padikkal also highlighted the importance of winning the toss and India’s first-innings batting effort in setting up the victory. He scored a magnificent 167 as India posted 462 and secured a 178-run first-innings lead.
“On the first day, I think winning the toss was really important. It has always been key when you’re playing at Galle, and we started well with the bat. I think putting on a really big total was the most important part of this Test match. It set us up pretty well for the rest of the match for us,” he said.
The India batter also praised the way the team maintained its discipline with the ball throughout the Test.
“I think we were again really clinical, did our jobs pretty well. And I think that’s the key, you know, when you’re bowling in such conditions, it can get tough. I think everyone was really patient, really disciplined, and that gave us the best result,” he said.
India’s victory gave them a 1-0 lead in the two-match series, with the second Test scheduled to begin in Colombo on August 23.
–IANS
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