India extended their lead to 4-0 in the ongoing 5-match ODI series against the hosts Sri Lanka after beating the home side in the 4th ODI at Colombo (RPS).
After winning the toss, India decided to bat first and made 375/5 at the end of 50 overs. In reply, Sri Lanka was bowled out for just 207 runs (42.4 overs) as India won this encounter by 168 runs.
Brief Scores: India – 375/5 in 50 overs (Virat Kohli 131, Rohit Sharma 104, Angelo Matthews 2/24)
Sri Lanka – 207 in 42.4 overs (Angelo Matthews 70, Milinda Siriwardana 39, Kuldeep Yadav 2/31)
Result – India won by 168 runs
Here are some of the statistical highlights of the match:
- It was the 467th international match for Indian wicketkeeper MS Dhoni which is the most no.of international cricket matches for any wicketkeeper. Dhoni broke the record of former wicketkeeper Mark Boucher (South Africa/ Africa XI/ ICC World XI) who had played 466 international matches.
- Indian skipper Virat Kohli played a brilliant century knock as he scored 131 runs. Here are some important stats of this century:
i) It was Virat Kohli’s 29th ODI century which is the third most no.of ODI century for any batsman. The top four list is given below:
| Name (Team) | Matches | Innings | No.of Centuries |
| Sachin Tendulkar (India) | 463 | 452 | 49 |
| Ricky Ponting (Australia/ ICC World XI) | 375 | 365 | 30 |
| Virat Kohli (India) | 193 | 185 | 29 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) | 445 | 433 | 28 |
ii) It was Virat Kohli’s 7th century as an Indian ODI captain which is the second most no.of centuries by an Indian ODI skipper. The top four list is given below:
| Indian ODI Captain’s Name | Matches | Innings | No.of Centuries |
| Sourav Ganguly | 146 | 142 | 11 |
| Virat Kohli | 34 | 31 | 7 |
| MS Dhoni | 199 | 171 | 6 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 73 | 70 | 6 |
iii) It was Virat Kohli’s 17th international century as an Indian captain. It is the most no.of international centuries by an Indian captain. The previous record holder was Sourav Ganguly with 16 international centuries as an Indian captain.
iv) Virat Kohli scored 131 runs in this game which is the joint highest ODI score by a captain on the Sri Lankan soil. Former Sri Lankan skipper Arjuna Ranatunga had also scored an unbeaten 131 runs against India at Colombo (RPS) on 18th July 1997.
- Indian batsmen Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli put a brilliant 219 runs partnership for the second wicket. Here are some important stats of this superb partnership:
i) It is the highest ODI partnership for the second wicket on the Sri Lankan soil. The previous best was an unbeaten 197 runs between Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli (India) against Sri Lanka at Dambulla on 20th August 2017.
ii) It is India’s third highest ODI partnership for the second wicket against Sri Lanka. The top three list is given below:
| Partners | Runs | Venue | Date |
| Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid | 318 | Taunton | 26th May 1999 |
| Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid | 236 | Nagpur | 22nd March 1999 |
| Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli | 219 | Colombo (RPS) | 31st August 2017 |
- After scoring an ODI hundred in the last game (124* runs), Indian opener Rohit Sharma hit another ODI century in this game as he scored 104 runs. It was Rohit’s second century in this ongoing ODI series. With this century knock, Rohit became only the second Indian batsman to score more than one century in an ODI series against Sri Lanka.
Virat Kohli was the first Indian batsman to score more than one century in an ODI series against Sri Lanka as he scored 2 centuries in a 5-match ODI series during India tour of Sri Lanka in 2012.
- Once again Indian batsman MS Dhoni (49*) remained unbeaten at the end of the innings which was his 73rd unbeaten innings in ODI career. It is the most no.of unbeaten ODI innings for a batsman. The previous record holders were Shaun Pollock and Chaminda Vass with 72 unbeaten ODI innings for each.
- India made 375/5 at the end of 50 overs. It is India’s third highest ODI total against Sri Lanka. The top three ODI totals are given below:
| Score (Overs) | Venue | Date |
| 414/7 (50 overs) | Rajkot | 15th December 2009 |
| 404/5 (50 overs) | Kolkata | 13th November 2014 |
| 375/5 (50 overs) | Colombo (RPS) | 31st August 2017 |
Also, it is India’s third highest ODI total on the away venue (including neutral venues). The top three ODI totals in this list are given below:
| Score (Overs) | Against | Venue | Date |
| 413/5 (50 overs) | Bermuda | Port of Spain | 19th March 2007 |
| 392/4 (50 overs) | New Zealand | Christchurch | 8th March 2009 |
| 375/5 (50 overs) | Sri Lanka | Colombo (RPS) | 31st August 2017 |
- India beat Sri Lanka this match by 168 runs. Here are some important stats of this match result:
i) It is India’s third largest ODI victory (by runs) against Sri Lanka. The top three list is given below:
| Victory Margins (By Runs) | Venue | Date |
| 183 runs | Johannesburg | 10th March 2003 |
| 169 runs | Cuttack | 2nd November 2014 |
| 168 runs | Colombo (RPS) | 31st August 2017 |
ii) It is India’s second largest ODI victory (by runs) on the opponent’s home ground (excluding neutral venues). The record margin is 200 runs victory for India against Bangladesh at Dhaka on 11th August 2003.
iii) It is Sri Lanka’s largest ODI defeat (by runs) on their home soil. Their previous largest ODI home defeat (by runs) was by 147 runs against India at Colombo (RPS) on 3rd February 2009.