Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs India National Cricket Team Timeline

The Sri Lanka national cricket team vs India national cricket team timeline is one of the longest-running rivalries in Asian cricket. The two sides first played an ODI against each other at the 1979 Cricket World Cup, where Sri Lanka achieved a historic upset by defeating India by 47 runs. The rivalry next flourished across Test cricket, with Sri Lanka awarded full Test status in 1982 (having previously toured England), and limited-overs internationals.

India and Sri Lanka have had numerous memorable matches in the past – the famous 1996 World Cup semi-final, some final encounters like the one at the Champions Trophy in 2002, at the World Cup earlier this year and now again in Gaddafi. India was supposed to tour Sri Lanka in August for a two-Test series as part of the ongoing 2026 ODI World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.

Sri Lanka National Cricket Team vs India National Cricket Team Timeline at a Glance

1979: The Rivalry Begins

India’s first official meeting with Sri Lanka was on June 16, 1979, during the Cricket World Cup at Old Trafford in Manchester.

Sri Lanka had not yet attained Test status at that time. The underdogs in the truest sense, Sri Lanka pulled off one of the big upsets of the tournament. They made 238/5 and bowled India out for 191, winning by 47 runs.

With the bat, Sunil Wettimuny, Roy Dias and Duleep Mendis were key. That result made Sri Lanka a genuine player in the world cricket circuit.

1979 Match Details

1982: First Test Match Between India and Sri Lanka

Granted Full Member status in 1982, Sri Lanka became a Test-playing nation. It began with a Test against England in February 1982 before later that year Sri Lanka entered their first Test, also vs India.

But the 1982 India vs Sri Lanka Test in Madras (now Chennai) was drawn. He scored great centuries in his double hundreds, with Duleep Mendis scoring 105 both times and India’s Sunil Gavaskar reaching 236 with Sandeep Patil’s century in India’s first innings on the pitch.

That same tour comprised three ODIs that India went on to win.

1985: Sri Lanka Records Its First Test Victory Over India

The second major milestone came during Sri Lanka’s Test series against India in 1985. Sri Lanka were a much younger side in Test cricket, although the team gave India a tough fight.

Gary Kirsten and Sri Lanka’s first Test came to a draw in Colombo, but they followed that up with their maiden win over India in the longer format. This was an imperative stage in the making of Test cricket in Sri Lanka.

1996: World Cup Semi-Final

One of the most controversial and memorable encounters between the two sides was the semi-final of the 1996 Cricket World Cup at Kolkata.

It was a strong innings from Sri Lanka, who batted first. Within the Indian inning, wickets disintegrated at regular spans of time, and eventually because of the crowd disapproval of the rebound vocation the match must be ended. The match was awarded to Sri Lanka, and they went on to the final against Australia which they won.

Sri Lanka’s arrival on the international cricket map was confirmed at the 1996 tournament.

1997: Sri Lanka’s Record Test Innings

Another page of history turned in 1997 when Sri Lanka’s 952/6 declared came against India in Colombo.

This remains one of the highest team totals in Test cricket. The final scorecards read: – 340, Sanath Jayasuriya; 225, Roshan Mahanama. The match was eventually declared a postponed draw.

It was a game that showed just how deep Sri Lanka’s batting went in those days.

2002: Champions Trophy Final

The final between India and Sri Lanka, at the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy in Colombo.

Rain affected the final, which was abandoned after two disruptions. An attempt to bounce back with a reserve-day was unsuccessful too.

This led to India and Sri Lanka being named joint winners of the tournament.

This is one of the more strange chapters in the India – Sri Lanka timeline as neither team lost a final.

2007: World Cup Meeting

The two sides met again during the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean.

Sri Lanka’s bowling put both India under pressure during the group stage match which they won. That was the result that led to India’s exit from the tournament before even reaching World Cup 2023.

At the end of the story, Sri Lanka made it to the final where Australia took home the cup.

2008: Sri Lanka’s Dominant Test Win

The Test series that India played during their tour of Sri Lanka in the year 2008 is when two distinct personalities clashed.

Sri Lanka replied with 600/6 declared, and with Muttiah Muralitharan and debutant Ajantha Mendis breathing down the Indian batsmen’s throat in the first Test at Colombo. Match Summary: Sri Lanka won by an innings and 239 runs.

In the second Test, India responded with a famous double century by Virender Sehwag. The series eventually went Sri Lanka’s way.

2011: Cricket World Cup Final

On 2 April 2011, one of the biggest matches in Sri Lanka national cricket team and India national cricket team history.

At the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, Sri Lanka 274/6 (50 overs) with a century from Mahela Jayawardene.

The chase did not start well for India as Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar both departed early. This was followed up as MS Dhoni scored an unbeaten 91 after Gautam Gambhir had rebuilt the innings with a score of 97.

India finished with 277/4 in 48.2 overs to claim victory by six wickets and their second men’s ODI World Cup title.

2011 World Cup Final Scorecard

2014: T20 World Cup Final

Then, three years after the 2011 World Cup final, Ashwin and his teammates were installed as favourites for another major final: the ICC T20 World Cup in Dhaka back in 2014 against Sri Lanka.

India 130/4, Virat Kohli 77. Chasing the target, Sri Lanka achieved it with a total of 134-4 after just 17.5 overs.

Sri Lanka claimed their first men’s T20 World Cup title with Kumar Sangakkara unbeaten on 52.

2017: India’s Dominant Tour of Sri Lanka

The tour in 2017 was one of India’s more fruitful bilateral tours as far as their fortunes against Sri Lanka were concerned.

India won 3-0 in the Test series and then followed it up with a clean sweep of 5 matches in the five-match ODI Series, winning 5-0. The Indian side flourished across formats, and across conditions.

2018: Nidahas Trophy

In 2018, India and Sri Lanka met in a T20 tournament to commemorate the 70th year since Sri Lanka obtained independence from Britain: the Nidahas Trophy.

The final of the t20 world cup was played between India and Bangladesh, Sri Lanka could not make it to the title match. Note: The event is included in the extended India-Sri Lanka cricket timeline, but does not mark an India-Sri Lanka final.

2022: Sri Lanka Beat India in Asia Cup

Sri Lanka knocked India out of the Super Four phase of a 2022 Asia Cup match in the UAE by six wickets.

Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis spearheaded the chase as Pant’s side succumbed to Sri Lanka with the bat.

Sri Lanka would later qualify for the final, and would beat Pakistan there to claim the tournament.

2023: Asia Cup Final

One of the most one sided India-Sri-Lanka matches between 2023 Asia Cup final in Colombo.

Sri Lanka collapsed for just 50 runs in 15.2 overs. Mohammed Siraj first picked up 6 wickets and then India sensed a shot at chasing the target down without losing a wicket.

2023 Asia Cup Final

2024: Sri Lanka Win ODI Series Against India

Another key moment came in the 2024 bilateral series.

India had beaten Thailand 3-0 in the three-match T20I series, which included a tied third match that India won via Super Over.

Sri Lanka hit back strongly in the ODI series though.

Sri Lanka drew the first ODI, won the second ODI by 32 runs and the third ODI by 110 runs. Sri Lanka thus claimed the ODI series 2-0. It was their first bilateral one-day series success against India in 27 years.

India vs Sri Lanka 2024 Series

2025: Asia Cup Super Four Thriller

The latest of the two nail biting clashes between India and Sri Lanka came in the 2025 Asia Cup Super Four round.

In 20 overs, both teams scored 202/5. India won the match but a Super Over was needed after Sri Lanka scored two runs. India won the contest with Suryakumar Yadav taking the other hand and Arshdeep Singh having taken two wickets in the Super Over.

This supplied a further unusual addition to the rivalry: a tied T20I by Super Over decision.

2026: Latest Test Series in Sri Lanka

India’s most recent bilateral chapter in the men’s format arrived in August 2026, when Sri Lanka hosted India for a series of two Tests.

Earlier, India beat Sri Lanka in the first Test at Galle by 165 runs. India amassed 503/9 declared in their innings before Sri Lanka outdid themselves with 290 in the second Test that took place in Colombo. India implemented the follow on, but Sri Lanka staged a terrific recovery to end on 429/9. The match was drawn.

India vs Sri Lanka Tests, 2026

India vs Sri Lanka Head to Head Record

Fixtures between the teams available in 2026 statistics show 48 Tests, 171 ODIs and 33 T20Is played, though databases vary temporarily due to how recently matches and no-results have been counted. At present, one running tally puts the India Test record at 23 wins to the Sri Lankans’ seven; another pre-2026 Test count includes 22 as listed before the August 2026 series.

Major India vs Sri Lanka Matches

Most Memorable Players in the Rivalry

The rivalry between India and Sri Lanka has seen the two Asian cricketing giants go up against each other with some of the biggest names in these two nations participating. Players like India’s Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni; Sri Lankans Arjuna Ranatunga, Aravinda de Silva, Sanath Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene have given the rivalry a real substance.

Tendulkar scored buckets of runs versus Sri Lanka, while Muralitharan was far and away the biggest influence on Test cricket. Players like Jayawardene, Sangakkara in ODIs and players such as Kohli, Dhoni and Rohit gave innings on the bigger occasions in limited-overs cricket.

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