Some West Indies batters showed signs that they can handle such conditions in the big first-Test defeat, but they will need plenty of application and determination

How do you solve a problem like Galle? Well, winning the toss and batting first would be a start. But what else can you do?

The fact is, there are few grounds in world cricket where the toss plays such a significant role - on pitches that are known for taking exponential turn as the game wears on, only twice have teams batting fourth chased down a triple-digit total successfully here.

On both those instances, the first by Sri Lanka in 2019 and the other by England earlier this year, the wins were borne out of substantial top-order contributions and a whole lot of discipline - both of which were lacking from the visitors the first time around in this series.

But, despite the nature and scale of the West Indies' 187-run first-Test defeat, they would do well to put that out of their minds swiftly - better teams than them have suffered worse at this venue after all. In fact, rather than being alarmed, they should instead look at the seeds of potential that sprouted from the game and look to nurture them.

While their top order collapsed rather ignominiously in both innings, the way the lower order - particularly Joshua Da Silva - provided resistance, should give those batting further up a bit more confidence in showing positive intent; shouldering arms is quantifiably not the way to go in Galle.

As for their top order, Nkrumah Bonner's second-innings 220-ball sojourn showed that application and resolve wasn't beyond them. More of the same, and the visitors could be in with a shout.

The home side, meanwhile, will simply want to avoid complacency. The win was certainly of the feel-good variety, and one that would have cast the mind back to when such thrashings were de rigueur in Galle. But captain Dimuth Karunaratne, speaking ahead of the second Test, gave the air of a man that refused to be blinded by the nature of the victory.

He sounded out the prospect of potentially drafting in an extra batter on a pitch that is expected to take on turn even earlier this time around, and it would be little surprise to see Sri Lanka turn up with just the solitary seamer on Monday morning.