SL vs IND series: India to play three ODIs, T20Is against Sri Lanka at Pallekele and Colombo

Hardik Pandya (Pic: AFP)

India will play three T20 Internationals and as many ODIs in the SL vs IND series across July and August, and the matches will be played at Pallekele and Colombo, the BCCI announced on Thursday.

The white-ball tour will kick off with the T20Is (July 26, 27, 29) at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium and the SL vs IND series will then move to Colombo where the one-dayers (August 1, 4, 7) will be played at the R Premadasa International Stadium.

India will be manned by newly-appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir, while the Lankans will also have a new coach in Sanath Jayasuriya.

Gambhir has recently replaced Rahul Dravid, who led India to their second T20 World Cup title in the Americas, while Jayasuriya came in for Chris Silverwood.

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

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.

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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.

"Sri Lanka will always have my utmost best efforts as a player, and I will support and stand by my team and leadership as always," he was quoted as saying in his resignation letter to the board. No replacement was announced and Kusal Mendis remained the country's ODI skipper with Dhananjaya de Silva staying on as Test captain.

(With agency inputs)