Sri Lanka-India Test series to be played in second half of August

The Sri Lanka-India Test series will be played in the second half of August. The exact dates for the two Tests have not yet been finalised, but Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has identified a two-week window for the matches, which are part of the current ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.

Sources within SLC and BCCI have revealed to Cricbuzz that the matches will be played between August 15 and 29. There is no confirmation yet on the three Twenty20 Internationals that were supposed to be added to the tour.

The two Tests follow the Lanka Premier League (LPL), which concludes on August 9. The information about the identified window has been shared with all stakeholders, including the Indian team.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has travelled to Sri Lanka as part of an ICC delegation to assess the situation in SLC, which was recently dissolved by the government. The government has since appointed an interim body, the Sri Lanka Cricket Transformation Committee.

A six-match white-ball series in Bangladesh – comprising three ODIs and three T20Is – has been planned for September. Saikia refused to comment on whether the Bangladesh series would go ahead.

The Bangladesh tour, if it takes place, will be followed by a home series against the West Indies, which could overlap with the Nagoya Asian Games (cricket from September 25 to October 3). India are also scheduled to play three T20Is against Afghanistan in the UAE in September.

India resume their international commitments on June 6 with a Test against Afghanistan, followed by a three-match ODI series. The team will then tour Ireland, England and Zimbabwe before travelling to Sri Lanka.