KL Rahul praises team performance following India's first Test win against Sri Lanka

India vice-captain KL Rahul was pleased with the team’s convincing 165-run win over Sri Lanka in the first Test, saying the result has boosted their confidence in handling spin-friendly conditions. India dominated across five days to take a 1-0 lead, with the second Test scheduled in Colombo from August 23.

“I wouldn't say sigh of relief, just happy because every Test match victory is special. Coming back to Sri Lanka after a long time, so, lot of the guys haven't been here and so it's a great start to the tour. I think we ticked most of the boxes that we spoke about before the Test,” Rahul said.

Confidence against spin

India had recently struggled against spin at home, but showed much better control against Sri Lanka’s spinners. Rahul believes the win will help the team ahead of the next Test and future challenges, including a major home series against Australia. “I think this victory will obviously give a sense of happiness and also give us the confidence going into the next game (at Colombo) and also we have a big home series coming up in India next year (vs Australia).

“So just understanding batting against spin and playing in spinning conditions is something that we've all been working on. So from that point of view, it gives us a lot of happiness,” he added. Rahul said careful preparation played an important role in his own performance. He studied previous Sri Lanka matches and worked on when to attack, defend and handle pressure.

“I've always liked doing that and taking those walks is a big part of my preparation. Yes, not always will you get success, but I think that’s the bare minimum someone playing at this level can do before coming for a Test series,” he said.

Rahul praises Padikkal

Rahul also praised Karnataka teammate Devdutt Padikkal for his maiden Test century, calling it a key moment in India’s victory. “I think that innings was, I think for me, the defining part of this Test match. The tempo that he batted with and to go on and get a big 100 in the first innings really set up the game for us.” Rahul hopes Padikkal can carry that confidence into the next Test and the rest of his career.