Top 10 Indian Performances Against Sri Lanka in Tests

We are at the brink of another India – Sri Lanka series. Sometimes, you feel cricket boards squeeze more out of a relationship than they should. Given how many ODI bilateral series the two teams have played, they know each other’s style of playing, the players and the strategies way too well. But, to be accurate, the two teams have not played as many Tests as they have ODIs. In 35 Tests, India has an upper hand with 14 wins. Those wins have come at the back of some sensational individual performances by players like Virender Sehwag, who almost always found a different gear when playing with Sri Lanka. Here, we look at a mixture of batting and bowling performances that helped India post stunning victories against their sub-continental rivals, both at home and away. Given the nature of pitches through the 90s and early 2000s and Sri Lanka’s evolutionary stages prior to that, we look at performances that marked a fight more than being a check on the quantity of runs or wickets. Please note that they are not in any specific order given how these matches have been played under varying conditions during a long stretch of time, making comparisons redundant and inaccurate.

#1 Virender Sehwag, 201*, Galle

Virender Sehwag in action in Galle

The 2nd Test in Galle of a drawn series in 2008 witnessed one of the best Test innings ever by an Indian batsman, away from home. There are many spectacular aspects of that innings. For starters, he scored an unbeaten double ton. He carried his bat. Secondly, his 201* came off just 231 balls, one of the fastest double centuries in Test cricket with 22 fours and four sixes. Thirdly, the 201 was close to 60% of the final Indian total of 329. Only Gautam Gambhir and VVS Laxman reached double figures with 56 and 39. Sehwag followed it up with another blistering half-century in the second innings as India eventually won the game by 170 runs.

#2 VVS Laxman, 103*, Colombo

VVS Laxman acknowledges the crowd after scoring 100

In terms of runs scored, VVS Laxman’s 103 not out won’t make it to the top 10 Indian innings. However, battling stress, pressure and body trouble, Laxman did what only Laxman can do, eke out every run to lead India when the chips are down, to eventual victory. India managed an 11 run first innings lead thanks to a 105 ball 109 from Sehwag, another special century. Sri Lanka posted 267 in their second innings, leading India to get 257 to take the match. In reply, India were 62 for four (including the wicket of a nightwatchman). However, Laxman on a turning track, on the fourth and fifth day pitches, added 109 with Sachin Tendulkar and an unbeaten 87 with Suresh Raina to take India to victory also levelling the series.

#3 Harbhajan Singh, 7-62, Ahmedabad

Harbhajan Singh celebrating a wicket

India had posted 398 on what looked like a decent pitch, thanks to another classic VVS Laxman century after they were in deep trouble at 97 for five. In reply, Harbhajan Singh ripped their batting apart with figures of 7-62. Sri Lanka was 74 for one at one point when Harbhajan picked the wicket of Marvan Atapattu. In the next 10 overs, they were down to 105 for five. Harbhajan accounted for five of the Sri Lankan top six as they were all out for 206 conceding a big lead. Anil Kumble picked a five-for in the last innings complemented by Harbhajan who picked three more for a 10 wicket haul in the match. India won the game by 259 runs.

#4 Virender Sehwag, 293, Mumbai

Virender Sehwag all pumped up

Not many teams lose a game after posting 393 in their first innings. Very few lose the game from that point by an innings and 24 runs. But, that was the genius of Virender Sehwag, who very nearly became the only cricketer to score three triple centuries, falling agonizingly close on 293 in a great knock at Mumbai. His breathtaking double ton came off just 254 balls as he made a mockery of Test cricket’s greatest wicket-taker Muralitharan. Sehwag added 221 for the first wicket and 237 for the second wicket as India scored 458 in less than a day’s worth of play, in 82.2 overs. Sehwag smashed 40 fours and seven sixes in that innings as India declared eventually on 726 with a lead of 333 runs. Zaheer Khan took a five-for in the third innings as the visitors were bundled out for 309.

#5 Maninder Singh, 7-51, Nagpur

Maninder Singh in action

Maninder Singh once showed what an accurate spinner can do in the fourth innings on a sub-continental track. His figures of 7-51 wreaked havoc in Nagpur in the 1986/87 season against an inexperienced Sri Lankan batting line-up. Sri Lanka were 141 all out in the fourth innings as India took the game by an innings and 106 runs. Maninder also registered a 10 wicket haul in the game as he took three in the first innings when the Sri Lankans were bundled for 204.

#6 Anil Kumble, 6-72, Delhi

Anil Kumble demolished the top order of Lankans

The Feroz Shah Kotla has always been a happy hunting ground for India’s most prolific wicket-taker, Anil Kumble. It is there that he came up with one of the finest bowling performances by an Indian spinner against Sri Lanka. Batting first India managed just 290 with Sachin Tendulkar scoring a ton. Muralitharan had wrecked the Indian batting with a seven-wicket haul. However, Kumble made sure India had a decent first innings lead of 60 runs with fabulous figures of 6-72, four of which were the top order wickets. Facing a target of 436 in the final innings, Sri Lanka had more trouble against Kumble who finished with a 10 wicket match tally with figures of 4-85 as India won by 188 runs. Kumble was deservedly the man-of-the- match too.

#7 Venkatapathy Raju, 6-87, Ahmedabad

Venkatapathy Raju

In the 90s, India had a wide array of spinners at its disposal, one of whom was Venkatapathy Raju who bowled left-arm spin. He made the third Test in the 93/94 season at Ahmedabad his own with two stunning displays of bowling, helping India win by an innings and 17 runs against a good Sri Lankan side. In the first innings, Sri Lanka was bowled out for 119 thanks to Raju’s spell of 5-38. Facing a deficit of 239 in their second innings, Sri Lanka were bundled out yet again for 222 with no answer to Raju’s innocuous-looking, deadly accurate left arm spin aided by turn on the pitch. He finished with 6-87 in the second innings with a total tally of 11 wickets in the match with Rajesh Chauhan picking up six wickets in both innings. Unfortunately for him, it was Mohd. Azharuddin, who won the Man of the Match thanks to a spectacular 152. Azhar was also man-of-the-series.

#8 Anil Kumble, 7-59, Lucknow

Anil Kumble picked a total 11 wickets in the match

In the first Test of the 93/94 season at Lucknow, Anil Kumble bagged 4-69 and 7-59 in back to back innings as India thumped Sri Lanka by an innings and 119 runs. India posted 511 batting first in an innings where two Indian batsmen, Navjot Sidhu and Sachin Tendulkar scored centuries. Sri Lanka was all out for 218 with Kumble taking four. Asked to follow on, they were bundled out for just 174, Kumble bowling nearly twice as many overs as any other Indian bowler.

#9 VVS Laxman, 104, Ahmedabad

Weaving the magic with his wrists

There is a reason why they say Laxman’s runs fill up more than numbers. They are usually priceless. In the third Test of the 2005/06 series at Ahmedabad, Laxman walked in at No.3. He witnessed India descending from 31 for one to 97 for five. He added 86 with Dhoni and then like he always plays with the lower order, a stupendous 125 with Irfan Pathan who scored 82. India managed to get out of jail scoring 398. Thanks to fine spells from Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble, India managed to win the game by a massive margin of 259 runs. While the game is remembered for Harbhajan’s seven-wicket haul, during a phase when he was emerging as one of India’s finest, Laxman set the tone scoring some difficult runs under pressure setting the game up nicely for India.

#10 Dilip Vengsarkar, 166, Cuttack

Dilip Vengsarkar’s 166 helped India win by an innings and 67 runs

The stylish middle-order batsman played one of the knocks of a lifetime, single-handedly taking India to a position of strength. He scored 166 in a total of 400 where the next highest scores were 60 and 40 standing like a pillar and forming partnerships that helped India win eventually by an innings and 67 runs. Ratnayeke was in good form picking five wickets for Sri Lanka and India lost its last five wickets for just 17 runs, showing the significance of Vengsarkar’s classy knock, which occupied a quarter of the overs bowled. Kapil Dev’s contribution in the test was also immense with a fine 60 coupled with a four-wicket haul that helped bundling Sri Lanka out for 191