SL vs NZ: The player who was dropped from the team by Sri Lanka due to fitness, won the match, defeated New Zealand in Galle Test

Sri Lanka defeated New Zealand by 63 runs in the Galle Test. With this, it has taken a 1-0 lead in the 2 Test series. Jayasuriya's magic worked in Sri Lanka's victory. Yes, this magic is definitely of coach Sanath Jayasuriya but the magic seen on the field was of Prabhat Jayasuriya. The story of Prabhat Jayasuriya's rise in Sri Lankan cricket is very interesting. He is the same player who was once dropped from the team due to fitness. But, by taking 9 wickets against New Zealand, he played the most important role in the victory.

In the Galle Test, Sri Lanka had set a target of 275 runs for New Zealand to win. New Zealand had a good chance to win this match and also had enough time. But, despite everything being in their favor, they could not capture the fort of Galle. Sri Lanka's left-arm spinner became a big hurdle in New Zealand's desire.

Chasing the target of 275 runs, New Zealand had scored 207 runs for 8 wickets by the end of the fourth day. The good thing for New Zealand was that Rachin Ravindra was unbeaten on 91 runs. On the fifth day, Sri Lanka had to take two more wickets to win, while New Zealand had to score the remaining 68 runs. When the New Zealand team came out to chase this run, it could not stay on the wicket for long. Both its wickets fell within half an hour. On the fifth day, Prabhat Jayasuriya took the remaining two wickets of New Zealand and with this, Sri Lanka won the match.

Prabhat Jayasuriya was the hero of Sri Lanka's victory in the Galle Test, who took a total of 9 wickets in both innings. He took 4 wickets in the first innings and 5 wickets in the second innings. Prabhat Jayasuriya made his international debut for Sri Lanka in 2018. But, after that, he was dropped from the team citing fitness. He made his Test debut against Australia in 2022. Jayasuriya, who was declared unfit for this series, was forced to call Sri Lanka because 4 of its players were affected by Corona. After getting that opportunity again in the Sri Lankan team, Prabhat Jayasuriya never looked back.

By defeating New Zealand in Galle, Sri Lanka has created a record of winning the maximum number of 25 Test matches at a single venue since the year 2000. Sri Lanka wrote the script of its 25th victory in Galle in the 43 Test matches played here. During this period, England has also registered 25 wins at Lord's but it has played 48 Tests.