Manav Suthar made an immediate impact on his Test debut in Sri Lanka, taking four wickets as India bowled the hosts out for 284 on the third day of the rain-affected Test.
Sri Lanka still trail India by 178 runs after India posted 462 in their first innings, led by Devdutt Padikkal’s impressive 167. KL Rahul added 82, while Dhruv Jurel contributed 51. Prabath Jayasuriya took four wickets for Sri Lanka.
Suthar wasted no time making his mark. The left-arm spinner claimed a wicket with his first delivery and continued to trouble Sri Lanka’s batters with sharp turn and bounce. He finished with 4 for 76, while Ravindra Jadeja supported him with 3 for 57.
India looked set to enforce the follow-on when Sri Lanka slipped to 90 for 5. However, Sonal Dinusha and Niroshan Dickwella changed the momentum with a crucial 146-run partnership for the sixth wicket.
Dinusha played a superb innings and reached his maiden Test century. Dickwella also looked comfortable and scored 80, but Prasidh Krishna eventually ended his resistance with a superb delivery that found the outside edge.
The partnership allowed Sri Lanka to recover from a difficult position. The softer ball reduced the threat from India’s spinners, while both batters used sweeps effectively to keep the bowlers under pressure.
Jadeja then joined Suthar among the wickets. He dismissed Dhananjaya de Silva after the batter misjudged a delivery that turned less than expected. Later, a fortunate dismissal helped Jadeja reach another milestone when Keshara Nuwantha’s cover drive struck Yashasvi Jaiswal at silly point and lobbed up for a catch.
The wicket gave Jadeja his 350th Test wicket, making him only the ninth spinner in Test history to reach the landmark.
Sri Lanka eventually crossed the follow-on mark, with Dinusha completing his century. However, Suthar quickly ended his innings, while Jadeja trapped him shortly afterward. Suthar then completed his four-wicket haul by having Lahiru Kumara stumped.
All four of Suthar’s wickets came from deliveries in the 4 to 5 metre length zone, highlighting the control he maintained throughout his spell.
Bad light later stopped India’s second innings before they could make significant progress. India now have a sizeable first-innings advantage, but the rain interruptions have reduced the time available to force a result.
With Sri Lanka 178 runs behind, India remain firmly in control heading into the next phase of the Test.
