In two weeks, Shubman Gill‘s side is set to take on Sri Lanka in the two-match Test series. The first game of the series will be played in Galle starting on 15th August, followed by the second match of the series at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. Team India’s last Sri Lanka tour of the red-ball series was way back in 2017, which the visitors won 3-0. 

These two teams have played 46 Test matches, out of which India have won 22, while Sri Lanka came out on top in seven, with 17 matches ending as draws. The first India vs Sri Lanka Test match took place in 1982 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. 

It was the Lankans who won the clash between these two teams when they beat India by 149 runs at the P Sara Oval in 1986. The Indian side’s first Test win over Sri Lanka came in Nagpur in 1986, where they won the game by an innings and 106 runs.

Here are the top run getters for India in Test matches against Sri Lanka

Virat Kohli – 1085 runs 

The former Indian skipper played 11 Tests against Sri Lanka and loved batting against the side. Virat Kohli, playing his first innings against the Lankans, scored 103 at Galle in 2015, followed by an identical score during the 2017 series. That same year, the batting star also scored a century and two successive double tons against the Lankan side. 

Mohammad Azharuddin – 1215 runs 

Considered one of the best batters from India, Mohammad Azharuddin was known for his wristy flicks and powerful cuts and pulls. The right-handed batter from Hyderabad reserved some of his best innings against the Island Nation and notched up his Test high score of 199 against them. 

Virender Sehwag – 1239 runs 

Indian dynamic opener Virender Sehwag loved facing off the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis. In 2008, when none of the batters were able to pick the duo, it was Sehwag who scored an imposing 201 not out in Galle to help India win the Test match. His best was yet to come, though, as the former Delhi Capitals skipper scored a brutal 293 off 254 at the Brabourne Stadium in 2009. The following year, theIndian opener amassed 438 from five innings with two centuries during the 2010 tour. 

Rahul Dravid – 1508 runs 

The Wall of Indian cricket was a constant thorn in Sri Lanka’s flesh with the bat in hand. Rahul Dravid scored 1508 runs from 20 Tests against the Lankans, and his best innings of 177 came in Ahmedabad during the home series that was played in 2009. At one stage the hosts were placed at 157/5, but the batter added 224 runs for the sixth wicket with skipper MS Dhoni to not only record his personal best against the Lankans but also pull the team out of trouble. 

Sachin Tendulkar – 1995 runs

For any 90s kids, there was no bigger battle than watching the Tendulkar vs Murali tussle. The Mumbai-born cricket legend ended his career just 5 runs short of scoring 2000 Test runs against Sri Lanka. His best innings perhaps came during the 2010 tour, when he scored 203 off 347 balls to help India amass a massive 707.