SL vs IND series: India's Sri Lanka tour schedule revised, start pushed back by a day

It will be India`s first white-ball bilateral trip to the Island nation since 2021 (Pic: AFP)

The schedule of SL vs IND series has been revised, and the start of the contest pushed back by a day to July 27, the BCCI said on Saturday.

The Indians will be touring the island nation later this month for three T20 Internationals and as many ODIs.

Originally, the first match -- a T20 International -- was to be played on July 26, but it will now be held on July 27, followed by the remaining two T20 games on July 28 and July 30, with all the ties to be played at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.

The ODIs, initially scheduled to start on August 1, will now begin on August 2, followed by the remaining matches on August 4 and August 7, with all the games to be held at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

It will be India's first white-ball bilateral trip to the Island nation since 2021. Dravid was the stand-in coach then, with Shikhar Dhawan leading a second-string side.

India had won both the T20I and ODI series on that occasion.

India is yet to announce the squad for the SL vs IND series, but, as reported by PTI on July 8, senior players such as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are set to be rested for this trip.

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India will also have a new head coach in Gautam Gambhir, while the Sri Lankans will have a new man at the helm of affairs in Sanath Jayasuriya, who has been named as the interim head coach.

It is expected that Hardik Pandya might get the reins of the T20I side, while KL Rahul could be appointed as the ODI team's skipper.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka, who were ousted in the group stages of the T20 World Cup, will also have a new skipper after Wanindu Hasaranga stepped down from his post on Thursday.

This will be India's first white-ball bilateral trip to the Island nation since 2021. Dravid was the stand-in coach then with Shikhar Dhawan leading a second-string side.

The tourists had won both the T20I and ODI series on that occasion.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's T20 captain Wanindu Hasaranga resigned ahead of India's white-ball tour of the island later this month, the cricket board said.

The 26-year-old all-rounder quit following Sri Lanka's early exit from the T20 World Cup in June. Sri Lanka Cricket said Hasaranga decided to give up the captaincy and remain in the side as a player in the "best interest" of the team.

(With inputs from agencies)