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India secured a 1-0 series victory over Sri Lanka in the two-match Test series, but the visitors were denied a clean sweep after the hosts produced a remarkable fightback in the Colombo Test. India won the opening Test in Galle by 165 runs before Sri Lanka held on for a draw in the second match after being asked to follow on.
While Sonal Dinusha emerged as the standout batter for Sri Lanka and Devdutt Padikkal was India’s leading run-scorer, the bowling charts were dominated by India’s left-arm spinner Manav Suthar. The youngster enjoyed a sensational series and finished well clear of the rest of the field.
Here are the top three wicket-takers from the Sri Lanka vs India Test series 2026:
Manav Suthar was the undisputed leading wicket-taker of the series, finishing with 16 wickets from two Tests. His tally came at an excellent average of 21.06 and an economy rate of 3.11.
The left-arm spinner announced himself in spectacular fashion during the opening Test in Galle. Suthar claimed four wickets in Sri Lanka’s first innings before producing an outstanding 6/55 in the second innings. His six-wicket haul helped India dismiss Sri Lanka for 206 and secure a 165-run victory.
Suthar’s ability to extract turn and bounce from the Galle surface made him extremely difficult to negotiate. He also maintained remarkable control, bowling 23.4 overs for 55 runs in the second innings while picking up six wickets.
His effectiveness wasn’t restricted to Galle. Suthar continued to make an impact in Colombo, where he picked up six more wickets across Sri Lanka’s two innings.
During the second Test, he played a crucial role as India dismissed Sri Lanka for 290 in their first innings. He then took three wickets in the second innings as India pushed for victory after enforcing the follow-on.
Although India couldn’t complete the win, Suthar’s performances established him as one of the biggest positives from the series.
His 16 wickets were also comfortably the most by any bowler in the series.
Sri Lanka’s Asitha Fernando finished second on the wicket-taking charts with 10 wickets.
The right-arm seamer was one of the few Sri Lankan bowlers who consistently troubled India’s batters across the two Tests. He finished the series with an impressive bowling average of 20.00 and a strike rate of 33.30, the best bowling average and strike rate among the leading wicket-takers.
Fernando’s biggest contribution came in the Colombo Test, where he produced a superb 4/106 in India’s first innings. Despite India’s imposing 503/9 declared, Fernando was able to pick up four important wickets, including those of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja and Saransh Jain.
His performance was particularly valuable because India’s batting lineup enjoyed plenty of success during the series. Devdutt Padikkal scored 328 runs, while Dhruv Jurel accumulated 173, making Fernando’s consistent wicket-taking even more significant.
Fernando also picked up wickets in the Galle Test and finished with 10 overall.
His ability to generate movement and challenge the Indian batters around the off-stump corridor made him Sri Lanka’s most successful pace bowler in the series.
However, Sri Lanka’s overall bowling attack struggled to match India’s consistency. Fernando’s efforts were therefore crucial in preventing India from completely dominating every phase of the two Tests.
Prabath Jayasuriya completes the top three with nine wickets.
The left-arm spinner was Sri Lanka’s leading spin threat throughout the series and bowled an enormous number of overs. He finished with 92 overs, conceding 284 runs while maintaining an economy rate of 3.09.
Jayasuriya’s best performance came in the opening Test at Galle, where he returned match figures of 7/152. He claimed four wickets in India’s first innings and three more in the second.
His four-wicket haul in the first innings was particularly important because India posted 462. Jayasuriya dismissed several of India’s key batters, including KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Kuldeep Yadav and Dhruv Jurel.
He continued to play a significant role in Colombo, although India’s batters managed to put more pressure on him.
Jayasuriya’s workload underlined his importance to Sri Lanka. With the hosts often needing a wicket during extended periods of Indian dominance, the spinner was repeatedly called upon to bowl long spells.
He eventually finished just one wicket behind Asitha Fernando and seven behind Suthar.
Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Babar Azam (c), Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Sajid Khan, Ali Usman, Mohammad Abbas, Ubaid Shah
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