On this day in 1997, Sri Lankan icon Sanath Jayasuriya put up an epic knock in Colombo. One of the game’s greatest-ever all-rounders, Jayasuriya notched a whopping 340-run knock against India at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. It is the second-highest score by a Sri Lankan in Test cricket history. Mahela Jayawardene holds the record with 374 runs against South Africa.
Jayasuriya’s impressive knock saw Sri Lanka finish their innings with 952 runs against India in the Test series opener. The match eventually ended in a draw.
Relying on his extraordinary hand-eye coordination, Sanath Jayasuriya produced a ton of innings that showcased his supreme power. Around 27 years back, India were on the receiving end of a similar beatdown on August 6. Having lost the toss, Sri Lanka were fielding first in the Test.
Jayasuriya led his nation’s bowling charge by picking up three wickets in the first innings. India eventually declared their innings at 537 runs at the loss of eight wickets.
During Sri Lanka’s batting, Sanath Jayasuriya opened the innings along with Marvan Atapattu. After losing his opening partner early, the all-round star stitched a formidable partnership with Roshan Mahanama. After ending the first day of batting on 12 runs, Jayasuriya kept batting throughout the third day. The all-rounder wrapped up with an unbeaten 175 whereas Mahnama was at 115.
By the fourth day’s end, Sri Lanka had accumulated 587 runs at the loss of just one wicket. Sanath Jayasuriya had already completed a triple-century, finishing the day with 326 runs while Roshan Mahanama bagged a double ton.
The duo kept batting through the fourth day before Jayasuriya reached 340, breaking a plethora of records. It took him 578 balls to acquire the tally. The Sri Lankan star smashed 36 boundaries and two sixes during his epic knock. His partnership with Mahanama totalled 576 runs which is the second-highest Test partnership for Sri Lanka for any wicket.
Sanath Jayasuriya was eventually dismissed by India’s Rajesh Chauhan, leaving Sri Lanka at 615/3. After the Jayasuriya dismissal, Aravinda de Silva stepped up with a century followed by another 86-run knock from Sri Lanka skipper Arjuna Ranatunga. The match was eventually drawn after Sri Lanka declared their innings with 952 runs on the board.
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