Having found their ‘sweet spot’ in Tests, India will look to carry their winning momentum into the second and final game against an injury-hit Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo on Sunday.Devdutt Padikkal, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant and left-arm spinner Manav Suthar were the stars of India’s 165-run win in Galle, with Suthar registering match figures of 10/131. If captain Shubman Gill and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal get going, India will fancy a 2-0 clean sweep in Colombo that would strengthen their push for a 2027 World Test Championship final slot and lift them from fifth to fourth in the standings.India’s last overseas Test series win came in the West Indies in July 2023, when they prevailed 1-0. Since then, they have lost 1-3 in Australia and drawn series in South Africa (1-1) and England (2-2). At home, they have suffered 0-3 and 0-2 whitewashes against New Zealand and South Africa respectively.The Galle victory, however, has revived their campaign. Padikkal (167 and 44), Rahul (82 and 35) and Pant (66) handled Sri Lanka’s spin attack adroitly, while Suthar underlined his credentials as a serious Test prospect.The focus will now turn to Gill and Jaiswal, both of whom struggled in Galle. Sri Lanka’s premier left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya dismissed Gill in both innings, while Jaiswal was run out in the first before edging Asitha Fernando to the wicketkeeper in the second.Kuldeep or Saransh?The key selection call is whether India persist with left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who took just one wicket for 103 runs in Galle, or hand a debut to 33-year-old off-spinning allrounder Saransh Jain. Jain could offer greater variety against Sri Lanka’s left-handers.
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