Sri Lanka vs India: Rescheduled series set to start from July 18, BCCI confirms

The limited-overs series between India and Sri Lanka will kickstart from July 18, as confirmed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary, Jay Shah.

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The series was postponed after Covid-19 cases emerged in the host camp, with batting coach Grant Flower and the team’s data analyst GT Niroshan contracted with the virus.

As per the new schedule, the ODIs will begin from July 18, with the other two games being played on July 20 and 23, while the T20Is will follow on July 25, 27, and 29.

As per the original plan, 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.

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"The India-Sri Lanka ODI series will start on July 18 due to coronavirus cases in Sri Lanka camp," Jay Shah told reporters.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Cricket has kept all the players in two different cities, considering the possibility of more Covid-19 cases that may emerge in the future, which may lead Sri Lanka to field a second-string side for the series.

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.”

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“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.