Ahead of day 1 tomorrow, head coach Gautam Gambhir expressed his satisfaction on the performances of youngsters like Manav Suthar and Devdutt Padikkal
Published: August 22, 2026, 5:05 PM IST
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India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak exchange handshakes with players after India won by 165 runs during the fifth day of the first Test cricket match between Sri Lanka and India, in Galle, Sri Lanka, on Wednesday, August 19, 2026(Photo: IANS/Pratik Koli)
India will look to finish the Sri Lanka tour with another win when the series concluding second Test begins at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo tomorrow from 10:00AM (IST) onwardsIndia lead the series 1-0 after a convincing 165-run win in the opening Test in GalleThe Indians will be eyeing their first away series win for the first time in more than two years.
The visitors have put themselves in a strong position early in the first Test after scoring 462 in their first inningsDevdutt Padikkal was the star with 167, while KL Rahul made 82 and Dhruv Jurel scored a useful 51Sri Lanka were then bowled out for 216, giving India a big lead.
Sri Lanka fought back with the ball in India’s second innings, but India still set the hosts 445 to winThe chase never got close as Sri Lanka were dismissed for 279Ravindra Jadeja and Manav Suthar played key roles with the ball, while Kuldeep Yadav had a quiet game with only one wicket.
The win was important for India in the World Test Championship as wellThey moved to 64 points and a points percentage of 53.33 after the Galle victory, although they remained fifth in the tableSri Lanka slipped to sixth with a PCT of 33.33Bangladesh are currently fourth, while Australia, South Africa and New Zealand occupy the top three spots.
India will again rely on their batting depth and spin attack in ColomboPadikkal’s hundred will give the middle order confidence, while Jadeja and Suthar showed that the Indians have more than one option with the ball.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have plenty to fixTheir batting failed in both innings in Galle and they will need a much better effort to level the seriesThey will also be without Kusal Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal, who have been ruled out with injuries.
Ahead of day 1 tomorrow, head coach Gautam Gambhir expressed his satisfaction on the performances of youngsters like Manav Suthar and Devdutt PadikkalBoth the players were the major reasons behind India’s one-sided victory.
While Suthar ended the Test match with a total of combined 10 wickets across innings, Padikkal was adjudged Player of the match for his 167 which marked his maiden ton in the longest format for IndiaGambhir stated that there is still a lot of work needed to be done but he seemed happy with the performances from the duo.
When and where to watch the 2nd Test?
The series concluding 2nd Test, starting from 10:00AM (IST) onwards, will be broadcasted live on the Sony Sports network on television screens and Sony LIV on app/website.
