Galle: India lost four wickets for 111 runs in their second innings on the fourth day of the first Test against Sri Lanka here today, but they remain in a strong overall position in the match.
At lunch, India’s second-innings score was 116 for four. With their 178-run first-innings lead added, India’s overall lead had reached 294 runs. First-innings centurion Devdutt Padikkal was dismissed for 44 before lunch, while Rishabh Pant was batting on 21 and Dhruv Jurel on five.
Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed for a duck with just the third ball of India’s second innings. He had scored 32 in the first innings. KL Rahul, who was dismissed for 82 in India’s first innings, was caught by a substitute fielder for 35 today. Captain Shubman Gill scored only eight before giving his wicket to spinner Prabath Jayasuriya.
"Yashasvi jaiswal Got out on 0 runs 😢
He is good batsmen but he needs to be consistent.#SLvIND pic.twitter.com/q7cQeFsMch— Indian Cricket Team (@criclover451807) August 18, 2026
If India can add another 400-plus total in the match today and set the hosts a massive target, their chances of securing victory will be very high.
In the first innings, India’s spin trio of Manav Suthar (4/76), Ravindra Jadeja (3/57) and Kuldeep Yadav (1/65) delivered an impressive performance. Considering their success in the first innings, the trio could once again prove a major threat to Sri Lanka’s batters in the second innings.
In reply to India’s first-innings total of 462, Sri Lanka scored 284, giving India a 178-run lead.
The first Test will conclude on Wednesday, after which the second and final Test of the series will begin in Colombo on August 23.