IND vs SL: Manav Suthar, Ravindra Jadeja restrict Sri Lanka to 284 in first innings

Despite Sonal Dinusha's maiden Test hundred on Day 3 of the first Test match, Sri Lanka could only make 284 in the first innings in response to India's 462, and the Shubman Gill-led side took a big lead of 178 runs in Galle. Dinusha and Dickwella added 146 runs for the sixth wicket, completely denying the Indian bowlers any success during the second session. Thanks to this partnership, the Sri Lankan team managed to avoid the follow-on. Seamer Prasidh Krishna dismissed Dickwella at the score of 80 runs in the 62nd over.

Once the partnership was broken, the Indian bowlers wrapped up the Sri Lankan innings by claiming the remaining four wickets for just 38 runs. Manav Suthar took the highest haul of four wickets, while Ravindra Jadeja claimed three. Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Kuldeep Yadav picked up one wicket each.

The dismissal extended Dickwella's unwanted record for the most 50-plus scores in Test cricket without converting any of them into a century. The 33-year-old has now registered 23 Test half-centuries but is yet to reach three figures. His closest attempt came in 2021 during Sri Lanka's tour of the West Indies, when he was dismissed for 96 in the first Test at Antigua. Dickwella now leads the list of batters with the most Test half-centuries without a century. Former India opener Chetan Chauhan is second with 16 half-centuries without a hundred. 

Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja achieved a significant milestone in Test cricket. By dismissing Keshara Nuwantha in the 67th over, he reached the mark of 350 wickets in the longest format, becoming the fifth Indian to do so. He joins the elite company of Kapil Dev (434), Anil Kumble (619), Harbhajan Singh (417), and Ravichandran Ashwin (537), who have previously achieved this feat.

Among left-arm spinners, Jadeja now sits third for Test wickets behind Sri Lanka's Rangana Herath (433) and New Zealand's Daniel Vettori (362).

Jadeja reached the landmark when Sri Lanka batter Keshara Nuwantha attempted to attack an away-turning delivery, only to mistime his shot. Shubman Gill completed the catch, giving Jadeja his 350th Test wicket.

The milestone also saw Jadeja join former India captain Kapil Dev as the only Indians to have amassed more than 4,000 Test runs and 350 wickets. Jadeja began the match with 4,095 runs and 348 wickets from 89 Tests.

Overall, Ravindra Jadeja became only the fourth player to achieve the combination of 4,000-plus runs and 350-plus wickets in Test cricket, joining Kapil Dev, England's Ian Botham and New Zealand's Daniel Vettori. Then Dinusha went on to score his maiden Test century with a single in the 78th over. Manav Suthar dismissed Prabath Jayasuriya on the very next delivery. Jadeja trapped Dinusha on the very first delivery of the next over; Lahiru Kumara hit a couple of boundaries in the next over of Suthar before being stumped out.

Rain arrived just as the Sri Lankan team was bowled out. When the Indian side came out to bat on Day 4, the umpires soon called for stumps on Day 3, leading to the early conclusion of the day's play. Earlier, Team India had resumed their innings from their overnight score of 460/9. However, on the very fourth ball of the day, Prasidh Krishna was dismissed by Asitha Fernando, and Team India was bowled out for 462 runs.