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India vs Sri Lanka series rescheduled, 1st ODI to be played on July 18
The India vs Sri Lanka ODI series, which was to begin Tuesday, has been pushed back by five days and will now start July 18.
The ODI series which was to kickstart a series of six matches between India and Sri Lanka, has been pushed back by five days, with BCCI secretary Jay Shah informing that instead of Tuesday, July 13, the series will now begin on July 18, news agency PTI reported.
"India-Sri Lanka ODI series to start on July 18 due to Covid-19 outbreak in home team camp," PTI quoted Shah as saying.
With the opening contest rescheduled to July 18, the BCCI announced the revised date for the ODI and T20I series. The second and third ODIs will now be contested on July 20 and 23, while the three T20Is will be played on July 25, 27 and 29. All six matches are to be played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
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The decision comes after several members from the Sri Lanka squad tested positive for Covid-19. On Thursday, batting coach Grant Flower was the first to contract the virus upon his return from England, followed by team's data analyst GT Niroshan also returning a positive result a day later. This led to speculations that Sri Lanka might have to field a second-string side against India.
Furthermore, what is more concerning is that both Flower and Niroshan have tested for the Delta variant, which is considered more severe and infectious. And to make matters worse, on Saturday, Sri Lanka received another blow with PTI reporting that another Sri Lanka batsman in alternate squad for India series has tested positive for Covid.
The news of Covid hitting Sri Lanka cricketers is the latest setback for their team, with players breaking the bio-bubble protocols in England to go with a change in their limited-overs captain and a stand off between players and boards due to contract negotiations, which has prompted star all-rounder Angelo Mathews to consider retirement.
