CHENNAI: Following the five T20Is in Zimbabwe, the Men in Blue will begin their white-ball tour of Sri Lanka in Pallekele with the shortest format from July 26. After three T20Is at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, the Indian team will travel to Colombo for three One Day Internationals against the Island Nation.
The white-ball tour that begins in Pallekele will see three T20Is played on July 26, 27 and 29. The three ODIs in Colombo will be held on August 1, 4 and 7. Although the BCCI have not announced the squad yet, it is likely that the senior players — Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah — who were a part of the T20 World Cup-winning Indian team will be rested for the series. Perhaps, the most important aspect of the tour will be to see how the newly appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir settles in the dressing room. It will be the former India captain’s first assignment in the role. While Gambhir has been named as head coach, the BCCI is yet to appoint his support staff and it could happen before the team leaves for Sri Lanka.
Apart from the captain and coach for the series, this will be the only 50-over games India play before the home series against England and Champions Trophy next year. India will play three ODIs at home against England for which they are expected to field a full-strength side before the ICC event. As for the ICC event itself, it is still not clear whether India will travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, scheduled to be played in February.
Multiple reports, on Thursday, indicated that the Men in Blue would not travel to the neighbouring country for security reasons. The last time a multi-nation tournament was scheduled in Pakistan, Asia Cup 2023, it ended up being played in a hybrid model, co-hosted by Sri Lanka which hosted all India games and the final.
While the final call will be taken by the Indian government and the country’s cricketing body hasn’t said anything officially, it remains to be seen whether the tournament will be moved out or co-hosted again in a hybrid model.
