Galle, Aug 19 (IANS) Sri Lanka head coach Gary Kirsten said his team needs to turn the progress made with more Test cricket into performances after India handed them a 165-run defeat in the opening Test in Galle on Wednesday.

The defeat extended Sri Lanka’s wait for their first Test victory under Kirsten, with the team losing two of their three matches since he took charge. Sri Lanka had also suffered a defeat against the West Indies in Antigua in June.

Kirsten pointed to the lack of regular Test cricket as one of the challenges facing his players, noting that the Galle Test was only their third match in the format in the space of a couple of months.

"It's sometimes tough when you don't play much Test cricket to understand how you need to play," Kirsten said after the loss.

"This is our third Test in the space of a couple of months, and I can see already the team developing. And we're starting to build some shape into the team, but we need to turn it into a performance at some point."

Sri Lanka were bowled out for 206 while chasing 372 in the fourth innings, with India’s young left-arm spinner Manav Suthar taking 6-55 to complete a match haul of 10 wickets.

Kirsten stressed the need for Sri Lanka to develop a bowling attack capable of taking 20 wickets consistently.

"You need to be able to get 20 wickets consistently, bowl teams out with your seam, and be able to bowl teams out with spin as well. It's really important that we develop that Test match squad," he said.

The coach also welcomed the opportunity for Sri Lanka to play more Tests in the coming months.

"I think the challenge for the modern players, especially in Sri Lanka, is you don't play much Test cricket," Kirsten said.

"At least now we've got another six to go within the next six months or so, so it's great to get into the Test match game a little bit and then to understand how to score runs and bat for long periods of time and have an influence on a game over a long period of time," he added.

--IANS

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