However, Manav Suthar dominated the remaining overs after dismissing Dinusha in the 76th over, taking four wickets in 10 balls—his second five-for in two Tests—and using the new ball needlessly.
On a slow, new-ball pitch, India showed the necessary perseverance and patience to defeat a determined Sri Lankan middle order by 165 runs. In the Test, Sonal Dinusha came within 16 runs of a second century, while Dhananjaya de Silva also hit a half-century. For extended stretches of time, India were satisfied with limiting the score so they could complete the task with the second new ball.
For a youthful, transitioning club that has lost two of its past three series in spin-friendly conditions—and that too at home—it will be a nice victory. Despite winning the crucial toss, they had to deal with unpredictable weather during the Test, which contributed to some of the shots their middle-order hitters made in the first innings.
However, Suthar’s steady ascent, Ravndra Jadeja’s sufficient danger, the seamers’ helpful contributions—who combined for a great deal of control and five wickets in the match—and Kuldeep Yadav’s gradual improvement toward improved rhythm made the bowling outstanding.
India maintained speed at one end on the last day, when they needed six wickets to win. Dinusha and de Silva reached half-centuries while Mohammed Siraj and Jadeja continued to test them. These bowlers’ initial spells were dismissed by the overnight duo, but Jadeja returned in less than 30 minutes to dismiss de Silva. He drew a top edge on the sweep by slowing down the next ball after going beyond the outside edge with one that turned huge.
In an uneasy innings, Niroshan Dickwella bowled around the wicket in search of something fresh, attempting to reverse-sweep and sweep Kuldeep from well outside leg. He continued to move across the crease against Prasidh Krishna’s short balls. Dickwella top-edged a cut after chatting with Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was encouraging him to play the hook. Despite having retreated from the stumps, Dickwella was constrained by the line.
Dinusha and Keshara Nuwantha persevered for fifteen overs, but Dinusha’s error set off a chain reaction. After circling the wicket and pitching one outside leg, Suthar just turned the ball into the leg gully, the only man who could catch it. Most likely, the additional bounce was a factor.
The next three wickets, all of which came from less turn than anticipated, will make Suthar extremely happy.
Instead of using overspin, which is his primary weapon, all bowled faster with a square seam that pointed in the direction of slip. But you may continue to get over the edge without really taking a wicket if you keep turning the ball big. Suthar revealed the other edge and demonstrated that he had the variation. With 2.2 overs remaining for the new ball, Nuwantha was bowled off the inside edge, making him the final man out.
