Sri Lanka win Galle Test by 63 Runs, take 1-0 Lead in Series

India’s hopes of winning a Test Series in Sri Lanka after 22 years, suffered a big jolt, as the Sri Lankan team staged a miraculous fightback on Day 4 to win the Galle Test by 63 runs and take a 1-0 lead in the Cricbuzz Cup Test series.

Chasing a victory target 176, Indian batsmen failed miserably on the turning wicket of Galle and bowled out for a paltry 112 in the second innings. Rahane (36) and Dhawan (28) showed the lone resistance. Rangana Herath took 7 wickets, while Kaushal took 3 wickets.

India dominated every session of this Test match till Day 3, but Sri Lanka spinners made a complete turnaround on Day 4 to change the course of the game. It was a huge setback to Virat Kohli & Co, as they lost this match despite having a 192-run lead in the first innings.

Umpiring will remain a talking point, as Chandimal got a reprieve from the Ummpire when he was batting on 10. He later went on to score 162* on this pitch. Indian bowlers failed in the second innings to allow Sri Lanka score 367 although they restricted them at 183 in the first innings. While Ashwin and Herath received some special awards, Chandimal was declared ‘Man of the Match’.

Scores:

Sri Lanka 183 (Mathews 64, Chandimal 59, Herath 23; Ashwin 6/46, Amit Mishra 2/20) & 367 (Sangakkara 40, Mathews 39, Chandimal 162*, Thirimanne 44, Mubarak 49; Ashwin 4/114, Amit Mishra 3/61).

India 375 (Dhawan 134, Kohli 103, Wriddhiman Saha 60; Pradeep 3/26, Kaushal 5/134) & 112 (Dhawan 28, Rahane 36; Herath 7/48, Kaushal 3/47).