India and Sri Lanka have faced each other in the ODI format a whopping 165 times, with India trumping the latter 96 times. But their games have really been entertaining for the audience watching, and this is due to the presence of legendary players on both sides. These nations boast some of the most legendary names in the ODI format, and when they are pitted against one another, we know what the result will be.
In this article, we will focus more in detail on the top Indian batsmen and how they fared while facing the wrath of some of the best Lankan bowlers in ODI cricket.
Most Runs by Indian Batters against Sri Lanka in ODIs
| Player | Innings | Runs | Average | Best Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar | 80 | 3113 | 43.84 | 138 |
| Virat Kohli | 54 | 2652 | 60.27 | 166* |
| Mahendra Singh Dhoni | 53 | 2383 | 64.40 | 183 |
| Rohit Sharma | 53 | 2021 | 45.93 | 264 |
| Mohammad Azharuddin | 48 | 1834 | 50.94 | 111* |
| VIrender Sehwag | 52 | 1699 | 34.67 | 146 |
| Gautam Gambhir | 36 | 1668 | 50.54 | 150* |
| Rahul Dravid | 42 | 1662 | 48.88 | 145 |
| Sourav Ganguly | 40 | 1534 | 40.36 | 183 |
| Yuvraj Singh | 50 | 1400 | 33.33 | 117 |
Key insights from the above stats
12: The number of Indian batters who have scored over 1000 career runs against Sri Lanka in ODI cricket. Apart from the above-mentioned 10 players, Suresh Raina with 1282 runs from 47 innings and Shikhar Dhawan with 1111 runs at an average of 69.43 with 4 centuries make it to the list. Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul, and Shubman Gill are the other players who have scored 200 runs among active players, but they need to do a lot of catch-ups to come to the top.
3113: Sachin Tendulkar, as expected, leads the pack for the Indian batters to have scored more runs while facing the potent Sri Lankan bowlers over the years. The batting maestro has played 80 innings against the Lankan Lions, hitting a staggering 8 centuries in the process, and his average is just over 43, which is slightly below his career average. His best score of 138 came in the Compaq Cup final in 2009, resulting in an Indian victory by 43 runs.
Also Read | Sachin Tendulkar – Tests & ODI Runs against Each Country
2500: If Sachin Tendulkar’s numbers against Sri Lanka in ODI cricket are better, Virat Kohli’s records against the same opposition are quite extraordinary. Regarded as one of the finest batsmen of this generation, Kohli has always remained prolific against Sri Lanka in all forms of game but has been sublime, especially in the ODI format. He leads the century charts against Sri Lanka, having scored 10 of them and averaging a touch over 64 in ODIs. His highest score of 166* came earlier this year.
2383: The duo is joined by another former Indian skipper, MS Dhoni, who also has an incredible record while facing the Lankan bowling attack in the ODI format. His highest score of an unbeaten 183 was also against Sri Lanka early on in his career, and Dhoni’s love affair with them continued throughout his career. Some of the famous knocks, including the one at the 2011 World Cup Final (91*), were at the expense of Sri Lanka. In all, Dhoni made 2383 of his career ODI runs against Sri Lanka at an average of 64.40 from 53 innings.
1834: All the former Indian captains have had sensational records in the format against Sri Lanka, and the next in the list, Mohammad Azharuddin, was also a former captain who averaged over 50 against the Lankan team. He has amassed 1834 runs with the help of 3 centuries in just 48 innings, with an unbeaten 111 at Colombo in 1997 being his best.
264: Rohit Sharma has many centuries against Sri Lanka in the ODI format, but his most famous knock was his 264 at Eden Gardens in 2014, which still remains the highest-ever ODI score in history. Interestingly, his third double ton (208*) also came against Sri Lanka in 2017.
Also Read | List of Double Centuries in ODI
2: The long-time Indian opening pair of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir also feature in this list. Sri Lanka was the most favourable opponent for the latter in this format, and it seems Gambhir took a massive toll on the Sri Lankan bowlers in this format of the game. 6 of his career ODI centuries came against the Sri Lankans, and he had an incredible average of 50.54 in 36 innings, scoring 1668 runs in the process. A large chunk of Gambhir’s ODI runs were scored against Sri Lanka.
Sehwag too had scored over 1500 runs (1662 to be precise) against Sri Lanka in his ODI career, but his average throughout his 52 innings career remained on the lower side of the 30s (34.57), which is a stark contrast to his record against the same opponents in Test format.
1662: Rahul Dravid also had a remarkable ODI career against the Sri Lankan team, as he averaged a stunning 48.88 in 42 innings. He has scored 3 centuries across these games vs. Sri Lanka, and Dravid’s best score of 145 came in the 1999 ICC Cricket World Cup league game. The current Indian coach remained prolific, as his average against Sri Lanka is much higher than his career ODI average.
1534: Sourav Ganguly, like MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, made his highest ODI score against the Lankan team, and his score of 183 came in the same match at Taunton as that of Dravid’s 145. Apart from that jaw-dropping knock, the former skipper has smashed 3 more centuries vs. Sri Lanka in ODIs, averaging just over 40 in 40 innings.
1400: The last of the best Indian batters in terms of most runs against Sri Lanka is Yuvraj Singh, who scored 1400 runs in the ODI format. He averaged 33.33, which is low for a batsman of his calibre, from 50 innings. His 117 came in a winning cause at Colombo in a high-scoring game, and this 95-ball knock put India firmly in control.
