Pallekele to host India-Sri Lanka men’s T20Is in July; Colombo named venue for ODI leg of tour

New Delhi: Pallekele and Colombo have been named as the venues to host the T20Is and ODIs during India’s upcoming tour, said Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) while announcing the itinerary of the white-ball series on Wednesday. As per the schedule, India will arrive in Sri Lanka on July 22. The tour begins with the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium hosting back-to-back T20Is on July 26 and 27, followed by the series-ending game on July 29.

The scene then shifts to Colombo with the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium hosting three ODIs on August 1, 4, and 7 respectively. India last toured Sri Lanka for a white-ball series in July 2021, where Rahul Dravid stepped in as the head coach, while Shikhar Dhawan was the captain.

Despite the absence of main players and support staff due to them being busy with preparation for the Test series in England, India won the ODI series 2-1 while Sri Lanka emerged victorious in T20Is by the same margin.

This will be the first series for both India and Sri Lanka with new head coaches at the helm. SLC had named Sanath Jayasuriya as the side’s interim head coach, following the exit of Chris Silverwood post a group-stage elimination from the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup.

India, on the other hand, have appointed Gautam Gambhir as India’s new head coach, following Dravid’s tenure ending with the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph in the West Indies last month. While Sri Lanka’s players have been playing LPL 2024, a youthful Indian team are currently in Zimbabwe for a five-match T20I series ending on July 14.

–IANS