Sri Lanka's unbeaten SSC streak

6 Tests drawn out of the last ten played at the SSC, Colombo, including four of the last five. The Test Sri Lanka won against Pakistan at this venue last year was the first with a decisive result since 2009.

2004 Last time Sri Lanka lost a Test at the SSC, which was against Australia. Sri Lanka had taken a slender first-innings lead on that occasion before being bowled out on the last day chasing a target of 370 runs. Since then, Sri Lanka have remained unbeaten in 14 Tests here and have won seven of them.

1993 The last and the only time India won a Test against the hosts at the SSC; India have played Sri Lanka at the SSC five times after that and have lost twice. The previous Test played between the teams at this venue, in 2010, ended in a draw.

10 Number of matches out of 13 that have gone into the fifth day at the SSC, in Tests since 2005. Among grounds to host a minimum of ten Tests since 2005, in terms of the percentage of matches that have gone into the fifth day, SSC's 76.9% is second only to the Adelaide Oval, where nine out of ten Tests since 2005 have been played over five days.

41.01 Average runs scored per dismissal by batsmen at the SSC in Tests since 2010 - the highest for any venue to have hosted at least five Tests in that period. In the last Test between the two teams at the venue the batsmen averaged 82.47 runs per dismissal. There were five centuries and five fifties: Kumar Sangakkara and Sachin Tendulkar got double-hundreds, while Mahela Jayawardene made 174. While Tharanga Paranvitana and Suresh Raina, who made his debut in that Test, got centuries, Virender Sehwag fell short of that milestone by one run.

2002 The last time Sri Lanka played a Test at the SSC without both Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene in the team. Sri Lanka had rested some of their key players against Bangladesh on that occasion and incidentally, Jehan Mubarak had made his debut in that Test. Since then, this will be the first time in 17 Tests at this venue that neither of Jayawardene or Sangakkara will play. Between the last Test - which was Jayawardene's farewell match - and this one, Sri Lanka will be missing the experience of 5233 runs and 19 centuries that the two batsmen together made at the SSC.

2007 Last time the team batting first at the SSC lost at this venue. Bangladesh lost by an innings and 234 runs on that occasion against the hosts. In nine Tests after that, teams batting first have won three and drawn six.

14 Number of wickets Rangana Herath took against Pakistan in the last Test at this venue, including 9 for 137 in the first innings and 14 for 184 for the match. Herath's effort in the first innings of that Test is the best at this venue. Herath has taken 56 wickets at an average of 27.48 at this venue and is the third highest wicket-taker at this venue after Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas.

113.75 Angelo Mathews' batting average at the SSC - the second best he averages at any venue. Mathews has made 455 runs from eight innings at this venue including one hundred and three fifties and has been dismissed only four times.

2 Number of times India have won the second match of a Test series in Sri Lanka to draw level and then have gone on to lose the final Test. This happened in the 2001 and 2008 series. In their last series here in 2010 though, India won the final Test to draw the series.