Sri Lanka’s upcoming tour of India is likely to see a change in itinerary. The tour which was supposed to start with the two-Test series followed by a three-match T20I series could be played the other way around.
“Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has requested BCCI to play the T20I series first instead of the Test matches. The Sri Lankan team will be playing a T20I series against Australia before coming to India. It will be convenient for them to send a team which will be already in a bubble,” a top BCCI official said.
If BCCI accepts the request, then it will give them some more time to take a call on the venues for the Tests, given the Covid-19 situation in the country. As of now, the T20Is are slated to be played in Mohali, Dharamshala, and Lucknow while Bengaluru and Mohali are supposed to host the two Tests.
To limit the chances of the virus breaching a bubble, the board decided to limit the West Indies series to just two cities – Ahmedabad and Kolkata. “BCCI wants to distribute international games to as many state associations. But the Covid-19 wave has made it difficult to do so. Confining a series to a certain region is convenient,” the official said.
The board is still taking a wait-and-watch policy on the Ranji Trophy. BCCI is keen to at least get the league round of the Ranji underway. “It will take a month to finish the league stage but the number of Covid-19 cases has to fall drastically. Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata seem to have gone past their peak. We will monitor the situation for another 10-14 days,” the BCCI official said. (Times of India)
