The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced the schedule and venues for the upcoming two-match Test series between India national cricket team and Sri Lanka national cricket team. The two teams last played a Test series in 2022, while India’s last Test tour of Sri Lanka was in 2017. Reports had already revealed the dates and venues for the matches, and the SLC has confirmed them to be true.
At the moment, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has sent India’s development team, the ‘A’ side, to Sri Lanka to play 2 first-class matches in Galle. India A defeated Sri Lanka A in the first one, while the second game is currently underway. In January, SLC requested to add 3 T20I matches to the pre-existing 2 Test matches, and the BCCI accepted as a goodwill gesture to raise funds for those affected by Cyclone Ditwah, which caused extensive damage in several parts of Sri Lanka. However, since then, the BCCI has walked back on the commitment.
Sri Lanka confirms schedule for India’s Test tour
Reports claimed that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was not keen on playing white-ball matches during the Sri Lanka tour, although Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) wanted to include them. However, with a packed international schedule, a T20I series could not be arranged.
The Lanka Premier League ends on August 9, leaving very little time to fit in three T20Is before the Test series begins on August 15. Therefore, the T20Is can only be played after the Test series ends on August 27. However, India is expected to tour Bangladesh in September and play Afghanistan at home in September. Therefore, fitting the matches is virtually impossible. The Bangladesh series has yet to be confirmed, but the Afghanistan series is.
India vs Sri Lanka Test series schedule
| Match | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Test | August 15–19 | Galle International Cricket Stadium, Galle |
| 2nd Test | August 23–27 | Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Cricket Ground, Colombo |