Top 5 Indian batsmen with the most ODI runs against Sri Lanka

In the words of Arjuna Ranatunga, a ‘second-string’ Indian side will take on Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series, starting on 13th July 2021. The Indian side will be without a number of stalwarts, as the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Rishabh Pant are not available for the Indian side for the Sri Lankan tour.

But then, the Indian side still has extremely talented players in their ranks as the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya, as well as newbies such as Prithvi Shaw, Devdutt Padikkal, Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan are capable of turning a match on its head.

Sri Lanka will enter this series extremely low on confidence after the hammering they received at the hands of the England side in the recently concluded limited-overs series. While Sri Lanka lost the T20I series 0-3, they also lost the ODI series 0-2. With India taking on Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series, let us take a look at the top 5 Indian batsmen who have scored the most runs against Sri Lanka in ODI cricket.

5. Virender Sehwag

At the 5th place in the list is former Indian batting legend Virender Sehwag. The ‘Nawab of Najafgarh’ played 52 innings against Sri Lanka and scored 1699 runs at an average of 34.67 and a whopping strike rate of 110.18. Sehwag also plundered 2 hundreds and 5 fifties against the Sri Lankan outfit.

Sehwag’s highest score against Sri Lanka is the 102-ball 146 that he scored against the then Kumar Sangakkara-led Sri Lankan side in the year 2009. His sensational knock allowed the Indian side to post a gargantuan total of 414 runs on the board and helped them beat their opposition by a slender margin of 3 runs.

In an ODI career that lasted a decade and a half, Virender Sehwag played 251 ODI matches for India and scored 8273 runs at an average of 35.05 and a strike rate of 104.33. He played his last ODI match for India in the year 2013.

4. Mohammad Azharuddin

The 4th place in the list is bagged by former Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin. The right-handed batsman was the mainstay of the Indian side for 15 years and played 334 ODI matches for his country. Azharuddin scored 9378 runs in ODI cricket and scored his runs at an average of 36.92.

Azharuddin also scored 7 centuries and 58 half-centuries for India as well. And, Azharuddin certainly took a liking to the Sri Lankan bowling attack. He played 48 innings against the Sri Lankan side and scored 1834 runs at an excellent average of 50.94. He also plundered 3 centuries and 15 half-centuries against Sri Lanka.

Azharuddin’s best effort with the willow against the Sri Lankan outfit came on 17th August 1997 in Colombo. He scored a classy 111* off 117 deliveries against the Sri Lankan side. However, Azharuddin’s effort went in vain as the Indian side lost the match by a slender margin of 2 runs.

3. Virat Kohli

He is definitely the greatest ODI batsman of modern-day cricket. Virat Kohli has accumulated absolutely mind-numbing numbers in his sparkling ODI career. The current Indian skipper has played 254 ODI matches and has scored 12169 runs at a stupendous average of 59.07.

Kohli has also scored 43 centuries and 62 half-centuries in ODI cricket. And, Sri Lanka has been one of Kohli’s favourite opponents as he has scored a bucketful of runs against them. In the 46 innings that he has played against the Sri Lankan side, Kohli has scored 2220 runs at an average of 60.00. He has also scored 8 centuries and 11 half-centuries against Sri Lanka as well.

Kohli’s highest score in ODI cricket against Sri Lanka is the 126-ball 139* that he scored in the year 2014. His excellent century helped the Indian side beat Sri Lanka with 3 wickets to spare. Another Kohli classic against Sri Lanka that will never be forgotten is the century that he scored at Hobart in 2012.

The Indian batting icon scored 133* off just 86 deliveries, and helped India make a mockery of a target of 321 set by Sri Lanka. Led by Kohli’s resplendent innings, the Indian side beat Sri Lanka with 7 wickets and as many as 13.2 overs to spare.

2. MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni occupies the second place in the list. Dhoni is arguably the greatest Indian captain in limited-overs cricket and has led the Indian side to the 2007 T20 World Cup triumph, the 2011 fifty-over World Cup triumph as well as the 2013 Champions Trophy title as well.

Dhoni featured in 350 ODI matches for the Indian side and scored 10773 runs at an average in excess of 50. The 40-year-old also scored 10 centuries and 73 fifties for the Indian side as well. And, Dhoni boasts of an excellent record against the Sri Lankan side.

Dhoni has played 53 innings against Sri Lanka and has scored 2383 runs at a whopping average of 64.40. He also scored 2 centuries and 19 half-centuries against the Sri Lankan side as well. The 183* that Dhoni scored against the Sri Lankan side in October 2005 is considered by many as one of the greatest knocks played by an Indian batsman in ODI cricket.

His magical century allowed the Indian side to chase down a target of 299 set by Sri Lanka with 6 wickets to spare. Another Dhoni special that no Indian cricket fan will forget is the 91* that he conjured with the willow in the summit clash of the 2011 World Cup. Dhoni’s 79-ball innings helped India defeat Sri Lanka with 6 wickets to spare and helped them clinch the World Cup title after almost three decades.

1. Sachin Tendulkar

The name at the top of this list should definitely not surprise you. Sachin Tendulkar gave sleepless nights to countless captains in his unparalleled career that spanned more than two glorious decades. The ‘God of cricket’ is arguably the greatest ODI batsman of all time, and has scored a colossal 18426 runs in 463 ODI matches for the Indian side. No other batsman apart from Tendulkar has even scored more than 15000 runs in ODI cricket.

The batting maestro has also scored 49 hundreds and 96 fifties as well in the ODI format of the game. Tendulkar played 80 innings against Sri Lanka and scored 3113 runs at an average of 43.84. The current 48-year-old batting legend has also plundered 8 centuries and 17 fifties against Sri Lanka.

Tendulkar’s highest score against Sri Lanka came in the year 2009 in Colombo. Opening the batting, Tendulkar scored 138 off 133 deliveries. His masterly knock helped the Indian side defeat Sri Lanka by 46 runs. Tendulkar played his last ODI match for India in the year 2012.

Note: All the stats have been taken from Cricinfo and Howstat cricket and have been updated as on 8th July 2021