India won the two-Test series in Sri Lanka 1-0 in August 2026. Shubman Gill’s side won the first Test in Galle by 165 runs, then were held to a draw in Colombo, where Sonal Dinusha scored a century in each innings and Sri Lanka batted out the final day after following on. Devdutt Padikkal was player of the series with 328 runs, and Manav Suthar’s 10 wickets decided the only result.
Series results
| Test | Venue | Result | Standout performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Test | Galle | India won by 165 runs | Manav Suthar, 10 wickets |
| 2nd Test | Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo | Drawn | Sonal Dinusha, 103 and 133* (player of the match) |
First Test, Galle: India win by 165 runs
Padikkal set up the Galle Test with 167 in India’s first innings, supported by 82 from KL Rahul. Dinusha made exactly 100 in Sri Lanka’s reply, but India still took a first-innings lead of almost 180.
India were bowled out for 193 in their second innings, with Rishabh Pant top-scoring on 66 off 69 balls. Pant hit eight fours and two sixes, and the innings made him the first Indian batter to reach 100 sixes in Test cricket. Padikkal added 44 and Rahul 35.
That left Sri Lanka 372 to win. Dhananjaya de Silva batted 151 balls for 59 and Dinusha made 84, but Sri Lanka were bowled out for 206 in 77.4 overs.
Suthar was the difference. He took four wickets in the first innings and 6 for 55 in the second for a 10-wicket match haul in only his second Test. It was his second five-wicket haul in a row, after one on debut. Prasidh Krishna took two second-innings wickets, and Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj one each. The Galle win was also India’s 600th Test.
Second Test, Colombo: day by day
Day one: Padikkal’s second century
India won the toss and batted. Padikkal made 117, surviving two early drops at backward point and slip, and added 120 for the third wicket with Gill, who made a half-century before edging behind. Yashasvi Jaiswal made 43.
Pant was hit on the left forearm while pulling Lahiru Kumara and retired hurt. Asitha Fernando took three wickets, including Jaiswal, Gill and Jadeja, and India closed on 300 for 5 after 85 of the scheduled 90 overs. Saransh Jain, on Test debut, was 4 not out and Dhruv Jurel 7 not out.
Day two: Jurel’s unbeaten 115
Jurel batted for nearly five hours, facing 177 balls for an unbeaten 115 with nine fours and two sixes, in his 12th Test. Pant came back after retiring hurt and added 112 with Jurel, making 63 off 89 balls before he fell to the first ball after lunch.
Gill declared on 503 for 9 once Prasidh brought up 500 with a boundary. Fernando finished with 4 for 106. In poor light, Sri Lanka slipped to 8 for 2 by stumps, 495 behind.
Days three and four: follow-on and fightback
Dinusha’s 103 carried Sri Lanka’s first innings, but they were bowled out for 290, with Jain taking the last wickets. That left them 213 behind, and Gill enforced the follow-on.
Pasindu Sooriyabandara and Kamindu Mendis added 115 for Sri Lanka’s second innings and took them past the deficit. Prasidh broke the stand by removing Mendis for 55, and Suthar then struck twice late in the day. Sooriyabandara was out for 92, eight short of a century, and Sri Lanka closed on 229 for 6, only 16 runs ahead with a day to go.
Day five: Dinusha saves the Test
With four wickets left, Sri Lanka needed to survive the whole final day. Dinusha did it. He finished unbeaten on 133 and shared a 112-run seventh-wicket stand with Keshara Nuwantha, who made 46. Sri Lanka ended on 429 for 9 and the match was drawn.
Suthar took 3 for 121 from 41 overs in the second innings and Jadeja 3 for 94 from 38.3 overs, but India could not take the last wicket.
Colombo scorecard summary
| Innings | Score | Top scorers | Best bowling |
|---|---|---|---|
| India 1st | 503/9 dec | Padikkal 117, Jurel 115*, Pant 63 | Asitha Fernando 4/106 |
| Sri Lanka 1st | 290 | Dinusha 103 | |
| Sri Lanka 2nd (following on) | 429/9 | Dinusha 133*, Sooriyabandara 92, Mendis 55, Nuwantha 46 | Suthar 3/121, Jadeja 3/94 |
Sonal Dinusha’s record series
Dinusha scored 420 runs in the two Tests, with three centuries and an 84. His twin hundreds in Colombo made him the eighth Sri Lankan to score a century in each innings of a Test, and he was named player of the match.
| Test | 1st innings | 2nd innings |
|---|---|---|
| Galle | 100 | 84 |
| Colombo | 103 | 133* |
Top performers
- Devdutt Padikkal (India): 328 runs, with 167 in Galle and 117 in Colombo. Player of the series.
- Sonal Dinusha (Sri Lanka): 420 runs and three centuries.
- Manav Suthar (India): 10 wickets in Galle, including 6 for 55, plus three more in Colombo.
- Dhruv Jurel (India): 115 not out in Colombo.
- Rishabh Pant (India): 66 in Galle to become India’s first batter with 100 Test sixes, and 63 in Colombo after retiring hurt.
What the series means for the WTC
Both Tests counted towards the 2025-27 World Test Championship. Gill said after the draw that Test cricket had been the winner and praised Sri Lanka’s fight. India stayed fifth in the standings, and the draw earned Sri Lanka four valuable points. The latest positions are in our WTC points table 2025-27.
Updated 7 October 2026. Sources: All India Radio News, Qatar Tribune, Khaleej Times, Associated Press, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Gulf News, Deccan Chronicle and Outlook India match reports.
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