The Sri Lankans, although they did not win a Test match, managed to come through the series against India unbeaten by drawing the three Test matches. For the first time on a tour of India they came back unscathed. On the previous tour Sri Lanka had lost each of the three Test matches by an innings with more than a day remaining.It was a split tour. The Sri Lankans spent ten days back home because the Indians were were committed to participating in three games in Sharjah for the Champions Trophy.
The Indian tour was preceded by the Wills Quadrangular trophy arranged by the Pakistan Cricket Board to celebrate the country's fiftieth year of Independence.
L R D Mendis (chairman), R L Dias, D S deSilva, F S Ahangama, A L F de Mel, T B Kehelguwuma, K M Nelson.
Selection
Not considered: Nuwan Zoysa (back injury).
Tour Party Announced :7 November 1997.
Fast bowler Wickremasinghe was a late selection when it became evident that the Indians were preparing seaming pitches for the Test matches.
Time between selection and departure from Sri Lanka
6 days
(7 November to 13 November)
Travel
ColomboQ
The team left the island on Tuesday 28 October 1997 to play in the Wills Quadrangular tournament in Lahore to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Pakistan's Independence.The final was played in Lahore on 8 November. The Sri Lankans left Karachi on Monday 10 November for Colombo and three days’ rest before embarking on their tour of India.
After three Test matches there they returned home for a ten-day break.
The team flew back to India on 19 December 1997 for the one-day internationals, Roshan Kaluwitharana taking the wicket-keeping place from Lanka de Silva who lost form and had a minor injury.
Time spent in India
x days
(arrival - depart Host)
On-tour selection panel
Arjuna Ranatunga, Aravinda de Silva, Bruce Yardley, Duleep Mendis.
Reinforcements
None.Upul Chandana and Romesh Kaluwitharana (wicket-keeper) joined the team when it returned for the one-day internationals. Arnold, Lanka de Silva, Pushpakumara and Jayantha Silva stayed home, not being required for the one-day series.
Fixtures/Results
w
§ Lahore
West Indies (Wills quadrangular)
Won 7 w
x
§ Lahore
Pakistan (Wills quadrangular)
Won 8 w
y
§ Lahore
South Africa (Wills quadrangular)
Lost 66 r
z
§ Lahore
South Africa (Wills quadrangular final)
Lost 4 w
a
� Baroda
Indian XI (40-over benefit match)
Lost 4 w
b
Cuttack
Board President's XI
Drawn
c
MOHALI
INDIAFirst Test
DRAWN
d
NAGPUR
INDIASecond Test
DRAWN
e
MUMBAI
INDIAThird Test
DRAWN
f
§ Guwahati
India (1st ODI)
Lost 7 w
g
§ Indore
India (2nd ODI)
No result
h
� Indore
India XI (exhibition - 25 overs)
Won 2 r
i
§ Margao
India (3rd ODI)
Won 5 w
� not first-class
§one-day international
Time spent inbefore First Test:
x days
(arrival - 1st Test)
Test appearances on tour
3 - Atapattu, Aravinda de Silva, SKL de Silva, Jayasuriya, Mahanama, Ranatunga, Tillekeratne, Vaas
2 - Dharmasena, Muralitharan, Pushpakumara
1 - K S C de Silva, Jayantha Silva, Wickremasinghe
0 -Arnold, M Jayawardene.
Match appearances
TTest match
oone-day international
x other match
⊕ T/20 international
-teams not announced
W wonL lostD drawnTtie
N no resultA abandoned
u unknown resultC cancelled
P A K I S T A N
I N D I ATests
I N D I AODIs
w
x
y
z
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
RP Arnold
o
x
MS Atapattu
o
o
o
o
x
T
T
T
o
x
o
U Chandana
o
o
o
x
KSC de Silva
o
o
o
o
x
T
o
o
x
o
PA de Silva
o
o
o
o
x
T
T
T
o
o
o
SKL de Silva
o
o
o
o
x
x
T
T
T
K Dharmasena
o
o
o
o
x
x
T
T
o
o
x
o
ST Jayasuriya
o
o
o
x
x
T
T
T
o
o
x
o
M Jayawardene
x
x
R Kaluwitharana
o
o
x
o
D K Liyanage
o
RS Mahanama
o
o
o
o
x
T
T
T
o
o
o
M Muralitharan
o
o
o
x
T
T
o
o
x
o
R Pushpakumara
x
x
T
T
x
A Ranatunga
o
o
o
o
x
T
T
T
o
o
o
KJ Silva
x
T
HP Tillekeratne
o
o
o
o
x
x
T
T
T
o
x
o
CU Vaas
o
o
o
x
T
T
T
o
o
x
o
P Wickremasinghe
x
x
T
R E S U L T S
W
W
L
L
L
D
D
D
D
L
N
W
W
Highlights
•Marvan Atapattu scored his maiden Test century (108) at Chandigarh and followed up with an innings of 98 at
Liyanage was a member of the one-day squad to Pakistan but did not take part in the Indian tour.
After the third Test in Mumbai, the Sri Lanka team departed to Colombo on Monday 8 December, returning to India on 19 December for the ODI series. After the last one-day match they flew home from Goa on 29 December 1997.
To general reading of The Times newspaper digital archive (Gale Group);Jamaica Gleanor archive;National Library of Australia Trove; Papers Past NZ.
From former British Newspaper Library, Colindale and online:The Age, Melbourne Argus, Bangladesh Daily Star, Barbados Advocate, Canberra Times, Daily Telegraph, Dawn, Eastern Daily Press, The Hindu, The Independent (Dhaka), Indian Express, The Island (Lanka), Lahore Times, New Nation, New Zealand Auckland Herald, Sri Lanka Daily News, Stabroek News, Straits Times, Sydney Morning Herald, The Telegraph (Calcutta), Times of India , The Tribune Chandigarh, Trinidad Guardian, The West Australian.
Magazines/periodicals including Australian Cricket, B & H West Indies Annual, The Cricketer International, Cricketer Quarterly, Indian Cricket, Indian Cricket Field Annual, Playfair Cricket Monthly, Shell Cricket Almanack of New Zealand, Wisden Cricket Monthly, Wisden Book of Test Cricket, Wisden’s Cricketers’ Almanack.
Men In White, A History of Australian Cricket (Harte), A History of Indian Cricket (Bose), A History of West Indies Cricket (Manley)