India lead Sri Lanka 22-7 in Test cricket, with 17 matches drawn from 46 meetings since 1982.
That’s a win rate of close to 48% for India. Sri Lanka has never once beaten India in a Test played on Indian soil.
Here’s the full breakdown of the numbers, records, and standout performers from this rivalry, plus a look at what’s coming next in August 2026.
India vs Sri Lanka Test Record: Quick Glance
| Stat | Number |
|---|---|
| Total Tests played | 46 |
| India won | 22 |
| Sri Lanka won | 7 |
| Matches drawn | 17 |
| First Test | 1982, Chennai |
| Most recent Test | March 2022, Bengaluru |
| Next Test series | August 2026, Sri Lanka |
The Full Head-to-Head Picture
The India vs Sri Lanka Test rivalry began in September 1982 at Chennai, and it ended in a draw. That set the tone for the early years.
Sri Lanka was still finding its feet as a Test nation. Most of the 1980s and 90s fixtures between the two sides ended without a result.
Things shifted once India’s spin attack matured. Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, and later Ravichandran Ashwin turned home Tests into one-sided affairs.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, had Muttiah Muralitharan, who made away tours to India a genuine contest for years.
One number stands out here. India’s first Test series win on Sri Lankan soil since 1993 came only in 2015, under Virat Kohli, ending a 22-year wait.
That 2-1 series win is still remembered as one of Kohli’s defining moments as a Test captain.
How India Have Dominated at Home
India have played 22 Tests against Sri Lanka on home soil. The record reads 13 wins and 9 draws. Sri Lanka has never won a single Test match in India.
That’s not a small stat. Plenty of strong touring sides have managed one win in India over the decades. Sri Lanka hasn’t, despite playing 22 Tests there since 1982.
Sri Lanka’s Record on Home Turf
Away from home, the picture looks a lot more even. India and Sri Lanka have played 24 Tests in Sri Lanka.
India still leads that count, with 9 wins to Sri Lanka’s 7, and 8 matches drawn.
Since 2008, India has stayed unbeaten in bilateral Test series played in Sri Lanka. That streak is exactly what’s on the line again in August 2026.
Highest and Lowest Team Totals in the Rivalry
Big scores and batting collapses have both been part of this rivalry’s story. Here’s where the extremes sit.
| Record | Score | Team | Venue and Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highest team total | 952/6 declared | Sri Lanka | Colombo (SSC), August 1997 |
| India’s highest total | 726/9 declared | India | Mumbai, December 2009 |
| Sri Lanka’s lowest total | 82 all out | Sri Lanka | Chandigarh, November 1990 |
| India’s lowest total | 112 all out | India | Galle, August 2015 |
Sri Lanka’s 952/6 declared at Colombo in 1997 still stands as the highest innings total in the history of Test cricket, nearly three decades on.
Sanath Jayasuriya batted for four days and scored 340, while Roshan Mahanama added 225 in a stand of 576 that broke India’s bowlers as much as their spirit.
India hit back on their own turf 12 years later. Virender Sehwag’s 293 powered India to 726/9 declared at Mumbai in 2009.
That was India’s highest total against any team, until Karun Nair’s triple hundred against England broke it in 2016.
At the other end, Sri Lanka were skittled for just 82 in Chandigarh in 1990, with Venkatapathy Raju taking 6/12.
India suffered their own batting horror show at Galle in 2015, bowled out for 112 as Rangana Herath ran through the lineup with 7/48.
Batting and Bowling Records: The Standout Performers
Individual brilliance has shaped almost every big result in this fixture. A handful of names show up again and again.
| Category | Player | Number |
|---|---|---|
| Most Test runs for India | Sachin Tendulkar | 1,995 runs (average 60.45) |
| Highest individual score | Sanath Jayasuriya | 340 vs India, Colombo, 1997 |
| Most Test wickets for India | Anil Kumble | 74 wickets |
| Most Test wickets overall | Muttiah Muralitharan | 105 wickets in 22 Tests |
Tendulkar’s numbers against Sri Lanka read like a highlight reel on their own.
His double century of 203 at the SSC in Colombo in 2010 remains one of his finest overseas knocks.
That knock came against a Sri Lankan attack that still had Muralitharan bowling at his peak.
Kumble’s 74 wickets came at an average of 31.20, with his career-best figures of 7/59 at Lucknow in 1994.
That spell alone showed why India trusted him as their go-to bowler against Sri Lanka for nearly two decades.
Muralitharan simply owns this fixture from the Sri Lankan side.
His 105 wickets in 22 Tests came at an economy of under 3 runs an over, with seven five-wicket hauls and two ten-wicket match hauls against India alone.
Iconic Matches That Defined This Rivalry
A few Tests from this history are still talked about whenever India and Sri Lanka fans argue over old scorecards.
Colombo, 1997: The match that gave the world its highest-ever Test total.
India batted first and declared at 537/8, thinking it was a match-winning score.
Sri Lanka never got out. They piled up 952/6, turning a likely Indian win into a one-sided draw the other way.
Mumbai, 2009: Sehwag’s 293 and Dhoni’s unbeaten century pushed India to 726/9, and the hosts wrapped up an innings win to seal a 2-0 series victory.
It was also India’s biggest Test total at the time, a record that stood until 2016.
Galle, 2015: India dominated for three days, leading by 192 runs after the first innings.
Then Dinesh Chandimal’s unbeaten 162 and Rangana Herath’s spin turned the match on its head. Sri Lanka won by 63 runs.
It’s one of the great comeback wins in this rivalry. India still won the series 2-1, so the story had a happy ending for the visitors in the end.
What’s Next: The 2026 Test Series
India return to Sri Lanka in August 2026 for a two-match series, their first full Test tour there since 2017.
The first Test starts on August 15 at Galle, followed by the second at the SSC in Colombo from August 23 to 27.
Both sides need the points badly. It’s part of the ongoing World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle, and neither team can afford to slip further down the table.
