Charith Asalanka leaves behind Dhoni, Kohli on elite ODI list during one-man show against Australia in 1st ODI – India TV

Sri Lankan skipper Charith Aslanka was the one-man army for his side as he scored a magnificent 127 off just 126 deliveries while it seemed that the rest of the batters were playing on a completely different surface. Sri Lanka were tottering at 135/8 at one point before Asalanka decided not just to farm the strike but also to play positive cricket and was successful in both as Eshan Malinga at the other end scored just one run but played out 26 balls. Sri Lanka got to a score of 214, which looked like a respectable one considering how difficult it has been to bat at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo in recent times.

During his sensational lone effort, Asalanka achieved a massive feat as he broke Sanath Jayasuriya’s record for the highest score by a Sri Lankan captain in ODIs against Australia. On the overall list for Sri Lanka, Asalanka’s 127 was the fourth-best by a captain in ODI history.

For any captain against Australia, legendary Indian skipper MS Dhoni has the highest score in ODIs when he smashed an unbeaten 139 in Mohali, back in 2013. Asalanka, however, went up to third on the list while surpassing the likes of Dhoni, Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli. Dhoni had another score of 124 against Australia in 2009 while Kohli’s best as captain against the world champions was 123 in 2019.

Highest individual score by a Sri Lankan captain in ODIs

189 (161) – Sanath Jayasuriya, vs India – Sharjah, 2000

139* (116) – Angelo Mathews, vs India – Ranchi, 2014

131* (152) – Arjuna Ranatunga, vs India – Colombo RPS, 1997

127 (126) – Charith Asalanka, vs Australia – Colombo RPS, 2025

126* (127) – Mahela Jayawardene, vs England – Chester-le-Street, 2006

Highest individual score by a captain against Australia in ODIs

139* (121) – MS Dhoni (India) – Mohali, 2013

136* (106) – AB de Villiers (South Africa) – Harare, 2014

127 (126) – Charith Asalanka (Sri Lanka) – Colombo RPS, 2025

125 (114) – Faf du Plessis (South Africa) – Hobart, 2018

124 (107) – MS Dhoni (India) – Nagpur, 2009

123 (95) – Virat Kohli (India) – Ranchi, 2019

Asalanka dingle-handedly rescued Sri Lanka’s innings as Australia found themselves four down in the powerplay chasing a modest total as Sri Lankan spinners continued to trouble the foreign batters in white-ball cricket on helpful surfaces.