India beat Sri Lanka by 165 runs in Galle to take 1-0 lead in two‑match Test series

Shubman Gill’s India defeated Sri Lanka by 165 runs in the first Test at Galle during their 2026 Test tour of Sri Lanka, taking a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. Devdutt Padikkal was named Player of the Match after scores of 167 and 44 across the two innings.

India entered the tour having struggled in the longest format in recent times but opened the Sri Lanka assignment with a comprehensive win that the report says has boosted their percentage of points in the current World Test Championship cycle. The first Test produced a range of talking points, from India’s batting depth to the emergence of a new spin-bowling performer on the Galle surface.

Left-hander Devdutt Padikkal dominated India’s batting at the Galle International Cricket Stadium, compiling 167 in the first innings and following that with 44 in the second to underpin both totals. The article states Padikkal set the tone for India’s innings and converted his opportunity into a landmark performance.

Wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant made 66 in India’s second innings and, according to the report, his attacking contribution helped India post a large target; the piece also records that Pant became the first Indian batter to reach a milestone of 100 sixes in Tests during that knock.

Left-arm orthodox Manav Suthar is credited with a breakthrough bowling performance in only his second outing for India, taking four wickets in Sri Lanka’s first innings and a six-wicket haul on Day 5. The report records that Suthar, who debuted earlier this year against Afghanistan, finished with his maiden 10-wicket haul in his first-ever WTC game.

India’s result in Galle is described as a collective batting effort rather than the product of a single performance, with KL Rahul contributing in a large partnership that helped build the first-innings total and mentions of audacious cameos from Dhruv Jurel alongside Padikkal and Pant. The piece frames those contributions as evidence of versatility across the Indian batting order.

The report says the victory added crucial points to India’s WTC tally: India now have a percentage of points (PCT) of 53.33 and, with eight more matches left, the Shubman Gill-led side “now stands a high chance of finishing in the top two spots in the WTC 2025-27 points table.” Sri Lanka are listed as sixth on the ICC WTC 2025-27 points table.