Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.
Venue- R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo [August 2-6, 1997].
In the Monsoon of 1997, Indian Cricket Team toured Sri Lanka to play 2 Tests and 3 ODIs. Sri Lanka were the newly crowned World Champions, whereas India too was a strong side. Hence, everyone expected a strong contest between the two Asian Powerhouses. Indian Captain Sachin Tendulkar won the toss and decided to bat first on what looked like a Batting Paradise. The decision turned out to be a good one as the Indians piled up 537 in their first innings. Captain Tendulkar led from the front as he scored a majestic 143 runs. Apart from him, Navjot Sidhu and Mohammad Azharuddin too scored magnificent 100s as the visitors declared at a formidable total of 537.
However, in response the Lankans did something which went into the History Books. The Hosts batted for the next 271 overs and scored a huge total of 952/6. Yes, you all read it right. 952 runs in a single innings. The same happened because their charismatic opener Sanath Jayasuriya scored a mammoth 340 of 578 deliveries. In this iconic innings of his, he scored 36 boundaries and 2 sixes. Apart from him Roshan Mahanama too scored a magnificent 225 as Indian Bowlers struggled to take wickets. The Test Match was truly a run fest.
Eventually the Match ended in a draw, but the score of 952 is till date the highest team total in test match history.
To watch the Sri Lankan Innings, Click Here.
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