India set to tour Sri Lanka for white-ball series: Sourav Ganguly

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly has confirmed that India will tour Sri Lanka in July for a bilateral limited-overs series. Experienced players such as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will not be available for the series as they will be prepping up for the five-match Test series against England. India were scheduled to play three T20Is and three ODIs in Sri Lanka last year, but the tour was indefinitely postponed amid the pandemic. 

"We have planned a white ball series for the senior men's team during the month of July where they will play T20 Internationals and ODIs in Sri Lanka," Sourav Ganguly was quoted as saying to PTI in an interview. 

When asked about the separation of two teams, Ganguly stated that the team will be fielding a completely different side, primarily containing white-ball specialists. "Yes, it will be a team of white ball specialists. It will be a different team," the former Indian captain said. 

With a few major white-ball tournaments coming up, the board is keen to ensure that all players are match ready. Given that the four-month England tour does not include a white-ball leg, the BCCI is hoping to make the most of the July window. The second-string Indian team will play at least five T20 internationals and three ODIs in July. The precise itinerary for the Sri Lankan tour is yet to be announced.

“Technically, in the month of July, there are no official senior India team matches. The Test squad will be playing intrasquad games. So there is no harm in India's white-ball experts getting some match time and selectors also get to fix the missing jigsaws in selection puzzle," the source said.

This will allow the team to test out different combinations ahead of the all-important T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to begin in October.

[PTI input]