How did Day 4 went in the first Test between Sri Lanka and India?
Day 4 of the first Test between Sri Lanka and India started badly for India as they lost opener Yashasvi Jaiswal within the first three balls. KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal then put together a 65-run partnership for the second wicket. However, four quick wickets put the visitors under pressure.
Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant steadied the innings with a 54-run partnership for the sixth wicket, but wickets continued to tumble thereafter, and India were eventually bowled out for 193.
Sri Lanka began their second innings poorly, losing their first four wickets cheaply as the Indian bowlers remained firmly on top. At the close of Day 4, Sri Lanka needed 288 more runs to win the first Test, while India required six wickets to secure victory.
Top batting performances of the match — Rishabh Pant
20th Test fifty, Rishabh Pant brings it up with a six! 🔥
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) August 18, 2026
Watch #SLvIND, 1st Test | Day 4, LIVE NOW on Sony Sports Network TV channels & Sony LIV.#SonySportsNetwork #SonyLIV #BeautifulGameOfTestCricket pic.twitter.com/qgYKcIaIgU
Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was the best batter of the day, scoring 66 runs off 69 balls, including eight fours and two sixes. He also forged a 54-run partnership with Ravindra Jadeja off 60 balls for the sixth wicket.
Best bowling spells — Asitha Fernando
Asitha Fernando was the best bowling performer of the day, finishing with figures of 4/31. He dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Manav Suthar and Prasidh Krishna. He received good support from Prabath Jayasuriya, who claimed 3/43, while Lahiru Kumara finished with figures of 2/28.
Records Broken and Major Milestones Achieved
- Rishabh Pant became the first batter to reach 100 sixes in Test cricket in the fewest deliveries, taking just 4,918 balls.
- Rishabh Pant has hit 100 sixes in Tests at a rate of one six every 49.2 balls, ranking third among batters with 100 or more Test sixes.
- Rishabh Pant scored his 20th Test half-century.
- Devdutt Padikkal’s 87 is the most runs scored by an India batter off the back foot against spin in a Test match since 2007.
- KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal became the fifth Indian pair to record 50-plus partnerships in both innings of a Test in Sri Lanka, achieving the feat in Galle in 2026.