As per the original schedule, the three ODIs were to be played from July 13 to 18 followed by the three T20Is, scheduled from July 21 to 25.
The rescheduled limited-overs series between India and Sri Lanka is set to go underway from July 18, as confirmed by Jay Shah, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary.
The series was postponed in the wake of positive Covid-19 cases in the host camp, where the batting coach Grant Flower and the team’s data analyst GT Niroshan contracted with the virus on subsequent days, leading the SLC to push the series behind to ensure the security of all stakeholders.
Reports reveal that both Flower and Niroshan contracted with the Delta variant, understood to be more dangerous than the previous strains, which led SLC to take immediate action. Indian team has been training and practising in quarantine upon their arrival in the island nation, but will have to serve the same for a longer duration after these recent developments.
As per the original schedule, the three ODIs were to be played from July 13 to 18 followed by the three T20Is, scheduled from July 21 to 25 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, all behind closed doors. However, as per the new itinerary, the ODIs will go underway from July 18, with subsequent fixtures on July 20 and 23, while the T20Is will follow on July 25, 27, and 29.
“The India-Sri Lanka ODI series will start on July 18 due to coronavirus cases in Sri Lanka camp,” Jay Shah told reporters on Saturday (July 10).
SLC to pick alternate squad if COVID cases increase in the camp
Currently, to tackle any exigencies, the host board has kept Sri Lankan players in two different cities, keeping in view the possibility of more cases, which may lead Sri Lanka to field a second-string side.
SLC Secretary Mohan de Silva, in an interaction with the media, said, “In the event that there are more positive cases leading up to the first ODI on 17 July, they were preparing to field an alternate team from the squads that are practising in Dambulla and Colombo and are in a bio-bubble.”
“All players of the team have tested negative, but we are mindful of the fact that the team’s batting coach & data analyst tested positive and for that reason, we are likely to reschedule the series,” he was quoted saying by InsideSport.
