The subcontinent rivals, India and Sri Lanka are two of the former World Cup champions. Both teams have played some commendable cricket over the years. The two nations have contributed immensely to the world of cricket. As far as the test format of the game is concerned, the two teams have played some historic games. India has always had a generational talent in batting including Sunil Gavaskar in the 1980s, Sachin Tendulkar in the 1990s and 2000s, and Virat Kohli, the greatest modern-day batter. Sri Lanka has always been a tough opponent to the Indians. Arjuna Ranatunga, Aravinda De Silva, Lasith Malinga, Mahela Jayawardene, and Kumar Sangakkara have played some great cricket against India. This article is about the Indian batters and their contribution to the team’s highest test totals against Sri Lanka.
1. 726/9d
This is India’s highest score against Sri Lanka in the test format. The historic test match took place in Brabourne on 2nd December 2009. Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first. The visitors managed to get to a decent score of 393. The hosts played a brilliant innings and scored a mammoth 726/9d. Virender Sehwag scored 293 runs, while Murali Vijay, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, and VVS Laxman all went past the half-century mark. At the back end of the innings, the skipper, MS Dhoni, scored a brilliant 100, including three 4s and six 6s. India then bowled out Sri Lanka once again for a meager total of 309 and won the match by an innings and 24 runs.
2. 707/10
707 all -out, is India’s another 700+ score in the test format. This came against Sri Lanka at Colombo in 2010. On 26th July, Sri Lanka batted first and scored 642/4d. In reply, the visitors smashed a mammoth 707 runs, thanks to the great contributions of Sachin Tendulkar and Suresh Raina, who went past the 200 and 100 run mark. The master scored 203 and Raina scored 120. Skipper MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, and Murali Vijay scored 76, 99, and 58, respectively. The match ended in a draw as Sri Lanka scored 129/3d in their second innings, and India did not get the opportunity to bat.
3. 676/7
Sri Lanka toured India in December 1986 and played the first match against the hosts in Kanpur. The visitors decided to bat first after winning the toss and put on a decent 420 on the scoreboard. In reply, India managed to go past the 600-run mark once again as they smashed the Sri Lankan bowling attack for 676 runs. Sunil Gavaskar scored 176 runs, and Mohammad Azharuddin scored a brilliant 199. Not to forget the skipper, Kapil Dev, who played an extraordinary innings of 163. The match ended in a draw as both teams scored almost 1100 runs the match.
4. 642/10
India hosted Sri Lanka in 2009 for a test series. On 24th November 2009, India and Sri Lanka played the second test of the tour in Kanpur. India batted first and put on a big score of 642 on the board. Openers Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag bashed the Sri Lankan bowlers as both scored 167 and 131, respectively. The no.3 batter, Rahul Dravid, also scored a brilliant century (144), followed by VVS Laxman and Yuvraj Singh, who scored 63 and 67, respectively. The pressure of this mammoth score resulted in Sri Lanka being enforced with a follow-on after getting all-out in their first innings for just 229.
5. 622/9d
India’s tour of Sri Lanka in 2017 under the leadership of Virat Kohli was a dominating one. India batted first in the second test of the series and scored 622/9d. Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane scored 133 and 132 respectively. Ravi Ashwin, wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, and Ravindra Jadeja also scored 54, 67, and 70, respectively. Sri Lankans were bowled out for a low score of 183 in the first innings and fell short of 53 runs and an innings after being enforced with a follow-on. Jadeja was the MOTM for his 70 runs and seven wickets in the match, including a fifer in the second innings.
6. 610/6d
In the year 2017, the Sri Lankans visited India for a test series. In the second test match of the tour, Sri Lanka batted first and scored a mediocre 205. India scored 610/6 after great performances from Murali Vijay (128) and Cheteshwar Pujara (143). The Indian skipper, Virat Kohli, was the standout performer with 213 runs. Rohit Sharma, too, scored a brilliant 103. India won the match by an innings and 239 runs.
7. 600/10
India scored 600 runs yet again against the Lankan Lions. In Galle, during India’s tour of Sri Lanka in 2017, India batted first, and the charge was led by the opener, Shikhar Dhawan, who scored 190 runs. Pujara, too, scored 153 runs as India put up a big score on the board. The big score meant India was ahead in the game, and Sri Lanka lost the match by 304 runs.
8. 574/8d
574/8d is a commendable total in a test match. India scored this total in Mohali in 2022. The hosts batted first as Hanuma Vihari scored a brilliant half-century. Rishabh Pant fell four runs short of a century. The standout performer was Ravindra Jadeja, who scored a mammoth 175 runs, followed by Ashwin with 61 runs. India won the match by an innings and 222 runs.
9. 566/6d
India chased a first-innings total of 346 during Sri Lanka’s tour of India in 1982. India, in reply, smashed 566 runs after blistering performances from Sunil Gavaskar (155), Dilip Vengsarkar (90), and Sandeep Patil (114). Dilip Doshi took eight wickets in the match, and so did Kapil Dev. The match ended in a draw.
10. 541/6d
Bengaluru has always been a great venue to bat. After batting first, India declared their innings with 541 runs on the board. Navjot Sidhu fell one short of a 100, and Sachin Tendulkar fell four short of a 100. Skipper Azharuddin scored 108 and helped India to get to 541 runs. India won the match by an innings and 95 runs.
