Suthar six-fer floors Sri Lanka as India return to winning ways in Galle

India rebounded to form in the ICC World Test Championship cycle as they crushed Sri Lanka by 165 runs in the first Test of a two-match series in Galle on Wednesday. Led by the stellar Manav Suthar's 10-wicket match haul, including six crucial scalps in the final innings, India secured a dominant victory with time to spare. The Sri Lankans chased down a formidable 362-run target on Day 5, starting at 84 for four after rain and poor light halted play overnight.

Despite persistent rain disrupting play over the past four days, India strategically aimed to eliminate the remaining wickets in time, keeping their hopes alive for the upcoming WTC final next year. While first-innings centurion Sonal Dinusha and captain Dhananjaya de Silva put up a spirited fight, Suthar's pinpoint bowling in the 76th over dismantled their defense, claiming the crucial wickets of Dinusha, Prabath Jayasuriya, and Lahiru Kumar.

This marked Suthar's maiden 10-wicket match haul in only his second Test, adding to India's impressive streak of five victories in the current WTC edition, a first in ten matches. The win boosted India's points percentage from 48.14 to 53.33, maintaining their fifth-place standing in the rankings, behind Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and Bangladesh.