Sri Lanka v India, Test series 2017 – Statistical Preview

The No.1 ranked Indian team will be taking on the home side Sri Lanka, who are ranked No.7 and recently received a scare from Zimbabwe before recording their highest successful run-chase in Test cricket. The Lankans will be looking to improve their ranking as anything less than a series loss will improve their rating points while India needs a whitewash to improve their rating.

Ahead of the series, we look at some of the key numbers and records related to the series.

1 – Number of matches Sri Lanka have lost in their last six Tests at Galle. They lost to Pakistan in 2015. It was also the only instance where Rangana Herath picked less than 6 wickets from among the six Test matches at Galle.

3 – Number of Test matches Team India has lost at Galle. They have played 4 Tests at the venue and managed to win only one Test (2008).

7 – Number of Test wins for Sri Lanka over India; all their Test victories against India have come in Sri Lanka. They haven’t won a match in India after playing 17 Tests.

9 – In absence of KL Rahul, India’s opening pair in the first Test will be their 10th opening pair in Test cricket in last 24 Tests. India have fielded with 8 different pairs in their last 23 Test matches starting from their Galle Test in 2015.

10 – Number of Tests Ishant Sharma has played against Sri Lanka so far. The remaining 14 Indian players in the squad have collectively played 21 Tests versus Sri Lanka.

71 – Runs Rohit Sharma has scored against Rangana Herath in Test cricket; the most runs any player has been able to score in the current Indian lineup vs Herath. Rohit hit 6 fours and 3 sixes in the 117 balls he faced from Herath and got out once. Rohit scored 67 off 101 runs in the 2nd and 3rd Tests vs Herath after being dismissed to him in the first Test at Galle in the 2015 series.

88 – Runs Angelo Mathews has scored against Ravichandran Ashwin in Tests. Ashwin has managed to dismiss Mathews only once in the 148 balls he bowled to him and conceded seven fours and a six.

93 – Wickets Rangana Herath has taken in the Galle in Test cricket. He played 16 Tests at the venue and has taken 9 five-fers and 3 ten-wicket match hauls in those games. Only Muttiah Muralitharan has taken more than 100 wickets at a venue (Colombo (SSC), Kandy, and Galle).

275 – Wickets Ravichandran Ashwin has taken in Test cricket so far; the most by any bowler since his debut. Rangana Herath has 274 wickets; the 2nd most by any bowler. Both the players featured in 49 Tests in this period.