Shubman Gill was a pleased man, and why shouldn’t he be? India braved the rain threat to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series against Sri Lanka on Wednesday after winning the series opener by 165 runs. The win was mainly down to Manav Suthar stepping up with the ball on the final day. In the final innings, he eventually scalped six wickets, helping the visitors wrap up the contest in the second session on the final day. Sonal Dinusha and Dhananjaya de Silva did put up a fight, but Suthar broke the back of the resistance by taking three wickets in a single over.
After the win, the India Test captain was full of praise for Suthar, saying the spinner has all the makings of a bowling great and can play for the country for a long time. The left-arm spinner is just two Tests old, but in both games, he returned with a five-wicket haul.
“He has been bowling magnificently, even in the first match he played in India and in this match as well. He looks like a promising guy and someone who can play for India for a very long time,” Gill said at the post-match presentation.
India’s win in the opening Test was set up by Devdutt Padikkal. The left-handed batter hit his maiden century in the first innings (167) and backed this performance up with another 44-run knock. His overall haul of 211 runs helped him to be adjudged as Player of the Match.
“He was magnificent to watch. It is important to get hundreds, but even after he got that, how he carried on and got a big one for us, that’s the difference between being in a competitive position and a comfortable position,” said Gill
“His knock in the second innings as well, the way he played and dominated the spinners was great to watch,” Gill said.
WTC race on
With this victory, India are still in the race for qualification for the WTC final. The side need to win atleast six out of their remaining eight Tests to have any chance of reaching the Oval next year. However, the task isn’t that simple, as two Tests against New Zealand (away) and five against Australia (home) await Gill and co.
However, for now, Gill is pretty happy and content to still be in the race for the WTC final.
“A very satisfying win for us. We were in a very comfortable position, but to come here, unsure if the match is going to take place or not, we were under a bit of pressure, but the team responded really well,” said Gill.
“[Playing the WTC final] That is the ultimate goal, [it is] why we are playing. Test wins don’t come easy, and this one is very delightful,” he added.
