- By Sunny Daud
- Wed, 19 Aug 2026 02:33 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
India strengthened their position in the ongoing World Test Championship after beating Sri Lanka by 165 runs in the first Test in Galle.
The win gave India a 1-0 lead in the two-match series and took their WTC points tally to 64. It was their fifth victory in 10 matches in the current WTC cycle.
Here's the updated WTC points table after India's win vs Sri Lanka
| Rank | Team | Tests | Wins | Losses | Draws | Penalty | Points | PCT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Australia | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 84 | 77.77 |
| 2. | South Africa | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 75.00 |
| 3. | New Zealand | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 72.22 |
| 4. | Bangladesh | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 66.67 |
| 5. | India | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 64 | 53.33 |
| 6. | Sri Lanka | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 33.33 |
| 7. | England | 13 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 14 | 38 | 24.36 |
| 8. | Pakistan | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 16 | 22.22 |
| 9. | West Indies | 12 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 20.83 |
Manav Suthar was once again the star with the ball. The young left-arm spinner picked up 6/55 in the second innings as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 206 while chasing 372.
Suthar finished the match with 10 wickets. He had already impressed in the first innings, taking 4/76 as India dismissed Sri Lanka for 284 after posting 462.
The 24-year-old, who made his Test debut against Afghanistan earlier this year, now has an impressive start to his international career.
Despite the victory, India remain fifth in the WTC standings. Their points percentage has increased to 53.33, but they are still one place behind Bangladesh.
Bangladesh climbed above India after their historic win over Australia last week.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, remain sixth despite the defeat. However, their points percentage has fallen from 41.67 to 33.33 after the loss.
The top two teams at the end of the WTC cycle will qualify for the final. India reached the final in each of the first two editions but finished runners-up on both occasions. They failed to make the final in the previous cycle.
India’s chances of reaching another final suffered a major setback last year when they were beaten 2-0 by South Africa in a home series.
However, there is still plenty of cricket left in the current cycle. India have eight Tests remaining, including one more against Sri Lanka, two against New Zealand and a five-Test home series against Australia next year.
The second Test against Sri Lanka will give India another opportunity to collect valuable WTC points and strengthen their position in the race for the top two.