'We Kept Looking...': KL Rahul Reveals India's Biggest Fear During Galle Test Win vs Sri Lanka

A few minutes after Manav Suthar bowled Keshara Nuwantha to complete his 10-wicket haul and seal India’s victory in the first Test in Galle, the rain finally arrived.

Rain had been a constant concern throughout the Test, with both teams having to keep an eye on the weather. But Suthar’s brilliant spell in the second session, when he picked up three wickets in an over, helped India wrap up the game before the rain could cause any trouble.

India beat Sri Lanka by 165 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.

The relief was clear in vice-captain KL Rahul’s words after the match. He admitted that the Indian team had been watching the clouds closely and wanted to finish the game as quickly as possible.

“Just relieved, honestly. We kept looking at the cloud upstairs and we knew there was one big shower coming, so we didn’t want to delay the game. We were trying to get the wickets as quickly as we can,” Rahul said after India’s 165-run win.

India had another reason to be worried during the morning session. Sri Lanka’s overnight pair of captain Dhananjaya de Silva and Sonal Dinusha put up strong resistance and frustrated the Indian bowlers.

The two batters had added 95 runs before Ravindra Jadeja finally broke the partnership. That wicket gave India the opening they needed.

“Obviously, they (Sri Lanka) had a decent partnership and once we broke that partnership, we felt like we were right back in the game and we could, once we got into their tail, we knew that we could get the wickets early. But yeah, we had one eye on the clouds,” Rahul said.

While India eventually won by a comfortable 165-run margin, Rahul felt the scoreline did not fully reflect how competitive the Test was.

“I think it was a great Test match,” Rahul said. “I think the wicket played really well throughout the five days. There was something in it for spinners obviously, but the batters who applied themselves as well could get some runs.”

Sonal Dinusha was one of the batters who made the most of the conditions. He scored a century in the first innings and followed it up with 80 in the second, showing that runs were available for batters willing to stick to their plans.

“And we’ve seen Sonal from the Sri Lankan team. Both the innings, getting a hundred and an 80, batted beautifully, had a very clear game plan to sweep the spinners and use his feet. So I think people who really committed to their game plan could score runs as well. So that’s what you want to see in Test matches, where fast bowlers picked wickets too, even for their team and for our team. So I think all in all, it was a great wicket, great Test match,” he added.

India will now look to wrap up the series in the second Test, which will be played in Colombo from August 23.