India Make Historic 600th Test A Memorable One With Dominant 165-Run Win Over Sri Lanka

India kicked off their 600th Test with a statement, sealing a commanding 165-run victory over Sri Lanka in the series opener at Galle. Left-arm spinner Manav Suthar was the architect of the win, finishing with a ten-wicket match haul, while Devdutt Padikkal's twin brilliance with the bat set the platform for the visitors' dominance.

Padikkal struck a superb century in the first innings and followed it with a battling 44 in the second. His first-innings ton, alongside a solid 82 from KL Rahul, powered India to 462, giving them a hefty first-innings lead after Sri Lanka were bowled out for 284, despite Sonal Dinusha's fighting century and Niroshan Dickwella's 80.

India's second innings wobbled at times, but Rishabh Pant's typically fearless 66 off 69 balls ensured the lead kept growing, leaving Sri Lanka needing a daunting 372 to win — a target that always looked beyond a batting order still finding its feet in Test cricket.

Sri Lanka fought hard through their chase. Captain Dhananjaya de Silva and Dinusha again shared a resilient stand, with Dinusha falling agonisingly short of a second hundred, scoring 84. But once Suthar removed him in the 76th over, the innings fell apart in dramatic fashion, with the hosts losing their last wickets in a heap as Suthar wrapped up match figures to remember, a second five-wicket haul in as many Tests and ten in the match overall.

For India, missing key names like Jasprit Bumrah and Washington Sundar, this was a hugely encouraging start, with young talents like Padikkal and Suthar stepping up on a testing, wearing Galle surface. Sri Lanka, already without Nissanka and Kusal Mendis, will look to regroup quickly as India take a 1-0 lead into the second Test, with a series clean sweep now firmly in their sights.