#360stats: Highlights of the Galle Test match between Sri Lanka and India

Sri Lanka pulled off a remarkable turnaround to defeat India by 63 runs in first Test in Galle. Here are the best stats that have been gathered from the incredible Test.

** The previous occasion, before this Galle Test match, when India played three spinners in an away Test match was at the Premadasa, Colombo in August 1997. On that occasion, Sri Lanka had made a record 952/6d and in this Test Sri Lanka beat India by 63 runs!

** It has been 33 Tests since Amit Mishra played a Test match. He last played a Test at the Oval in August 2011. Unfortunately for him, India lost both the Oval and Galle Tests.

** R Ashwin's 6/46 is now the best ever figures by any Indian spinner in the first innings of an "away" Test bettering the previous best was 6/94, by BS Chandrasekhar at Auckland in 1976.

** Incidentally, Ashwin’s figures are also the best by an Indian spinner on the opening day of an “away” Test while statistically going past Chandrasekhar's 6/94.

** Ashwin's figures are also the best by any Indian bowler in Sri Lanka. He surpassed the 6/102 by Harbhajan Singh at Galle in 2008.

** Shikhar Dhawan's 134 makes him the only third Indian opener to score back to back centuries in away Tests after Sunny Gavaskar and Rahul Dravid. Dhawan had made 173 in his previous Test innings at Fatullah in June this year. Incidentally, Gavaskar achieved it twice - in April 1971 and in November 1978, while Dravid did it once in January 2006.

** During his above knock, Dhawan became the 62nd Indian batsman to aggregate 1000 runs in Test cricket. He also becomes the 18th Indian to make 1000 runs while opening the innings.

** The 227 run stand between Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli was the highest third-wicket stand for India in Tests against Sri Lanka. The pair bettered the previous best of 173 between Mohinder Amarnath and Dilip Vengsarkar at Nagpur in 1986/87.

** Virat Kohli has now scored four centuries in as many matches as captain. Only two other captains have done this before - Sunil Gavaskar (from 1976 to 1979) and Alastair Cook (2010 to 2012). Cook, in fact, went on to make five 100s in his first five Tests as captain.

** Kohli's 103 was his first 50+ score in international cricket since 107 against Pakistan in the 2015 World Cup, which came 12 innings ago!

** Wriddhiman Saha (60) in his 6th match registered his maiden fifty in Test cricket. He now becomes the only 2nd Indian keeper to make 50+ score in Sri Lanka after MS Dhoni (76 at ColomboSSC in 2010).

** Tharindu Kaushal’s 5/134 was his second 5-wicket haul in his only fourth Test match. He had earlier in the season claimed 5/42 against Pakistan at ColomboPSS.

** For the first time in Test cricket history both opening batsmen were dismissed by spinners (& not by pacers) for ducks in the same innings. During their second innings, Sri Lankans openers, Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva were dismissed without scoring by Indian spinners - R Ashwin and Amit Mishra respectively.

- Viv Richards - Clarke should not be remembered for Ashes loss
- #360stats: A history of Sri Lanka vs India

** Incidentally, this is also the first time both Sri Lankan openers were dismissed for ducks in same innings against India. Overall, they became the sixth opening pair to do so against India.

** Dinesh Chandimal (162*) registered his fourth Test century. All his previous three centuries had come against Bangladesh - at Galle, ColomboRP and Chittagong respectively.

** Also three of his four hundreds have come at number 6 while one has come while batting at number 5.

** Chandimal’s 162* is also now his highest score in Test cricket. His previous highest was his unbeaten 116 against Bangladesh, also at Galle in March 2013.

** Chandimal, meanwhile, became the first Sri Lankan to score a 150 plus against India while batting at number 6. The previous highest by a number 6 against India was TM Dilshan, who had made 125* at Colombo (SSC) in 2008.

** Chandimal (221 runs in the match) became the 8th Sri Lankan to aggregate to 200 or more runs in a Test match against India.

** Chandimal (59 and 162*) is now the only third Sri Lankan keeper to aggregate 200-plus runs in a Test match after Kumar Sangakkara (244 vs Pak at Lahore in 2002) and Brendon Kuruppu (201 vs NZ at ColomboCCC in 1987)

** Chandimal is also the only second keeper to score 200 plus runs in a match against India. Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower achieved it twice, with both coming in the same month of November 2000 at Delhi and Nagpur respectively.

** Ajinkya Rahane became the first fielder in Test cricket history to take eight catches in a Test match. He went past five other fielders who had held seven catches. The full list

** In the second innings, Rahane held five catches, which equals the Test record for the most catches in a Test innings jointly held by eight others (Vic Richardson, Yajurvindra Singh, M Azharuddin, K Srikkanth, Stephen Fleming, Graeme Smith, Darren Sammy & Darren Bravo)

** R Ashwin (10-160) became the second Indian spinner to claim a 10 wicket haul on Sri Lankan soil. Harbhajan Singh (10-153) is the only other Indian spinner to do so, which also came at Galle in 2008.

** R Ashwin’s 10-160 is also his third 10 wicket haul in Tests and his first outside India. His previous two came against New Zealand (12/85) at Hyderabad in August 2012 and Australia (12/198) at Chennai in February 2013.

** Rangana Herath has now taken his tally of wickets to 270 in Tests in 61 Tests. He went past the tally of 267 wickets by Bishan Singh Bedi to become the third most successful left arm spinner in Test history after Kiwi Daniel Vettori (362) and Englishman Derek Underwood (297)

** Herath’s 7/48 is now the best bowling performance by a left arm spinner against India. His figures are statistically better than the 7/49 by England’s Hedley Verity at Chennai (then Madras) in February 1934 – 81 years ago!

** India’s total of 112 is their lowest against Sri Lanka in Tests surpassing their previous lowest of 138 at ColomboSSC in July 2008.

** India’s last Test win came at Lord’s on July 21, 2014. Since then their Test record: 9 matches, lost 6, drawn 3 in 390 days (1 year and 25 days).

** This is the first time India has lost a Test match after taking a lead of 100 or more runs. Their previous biggest lead was the 80 runs against Australia at Adelaide when they lost the Test by 38 runs in January 1992.

** India’s lead of 192 runs is now the ninth largest by a Test side to lose a match. The highest still remains Pakistan’s 331 run lead at the Oval in 2006 when they forfeited the Test to England.

Related Links