Sri Lanka are all set to tour India for two Tests and three T20Is. Thus, India will be hosting the Islandnation in February-March. Initially, the tour was supposed to start with the two-match Test series, followed by three T20Is.
However, there has been a change in the schedule as now, the T20I leg, which gets underway on February 24, will take place before the Tests. Lucknow is all set to host the first T20I. The remaining two T20Is games shall be taking place in Dharamsala.
As far as the red-ball series goes, it shall start on March 4, with the first Test to be played in Mohali. It is to be noted that the second Test shall also mark the 100th appearance of Virat Kohli in the longest format of the game.
Virat Kohli to play 100th Test in Bengaluru
Moreover, his 100th Test is set to take place in his second home, i.e. Bengaluru. As the 33-year-old has been synonymous with the Bangalore-based franchise of ITL, it is well and truly iconic for him. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) had requested the Indian board to change the schedule in order to manage the players’ bubble-to-bubble transfer from Australia.
Sri Lanka are currently playing a five-match T20I series in Australia, and have already lost the first three games. In the meanwhile, the last time India faced them was in 2021, during a limited-overs series. While the men in blue won the ODI series, the Shanaka-led side went on to win the T20I series.
Revised schedule:
India vs Sri Lanka 1st T20I: February 24 in Lucknow
India vs Sri Lanka 2nd T20I: February 26 in Dharamsala
India vs Sri Lanka 3rd T20I: February 27 in Dharamsala
India vs Sri Lanka 1st Test: March 4-8 in Mohali
India vs Sri Lanka 2nd Test (D/N): March 12-16 in Bengaluru