Sri Lanka Cricket requests BCCI to play T20Is before Tests on upcoming tour: Reports

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to change the itinerary of Sri Lanka's tour of India, which is currently set to start on February 25. The SLC wants the tour, which is slated to see a two-Test rubber followed by a three-match T20I series, to be played the other way around.

The SLC has reasoned that playing the shortest format first will be convenient for their players' bubble-to-bubble transfer from Australia, where they'll play five T20Is until February 20. A BCCI official explained the same to The Times of India, saying:

"...SLC has requested BCCI to play the T20I series first instead of the Test matches. The Sri Lankan team will be playing a T20I series against Australia before coming to India. It will be convenient for them to send a team which will be already in a bubble."

The SLC recently announced a 20-man squad for the T20Is which doesn't include some key Test players, including captain Dimuth Karunaratne. If the BCCI agrees to their demand, the red-ball players could join the bubble in India after the T20Is.

The postponement of the red-ball series could also give BCCI some more time to decide on Virat Kohli's successor in Test cricket, which, for now, is a clear toss-up between Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul.

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Venue changes are also possible for Sri Lanka's tour of India

The BCCI recently concentrated West Indies' upcoming tour of India to just two venues - Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium and Kolkata's Eden Gardens - due to logistical reasons in the wake of rising COVID-19 cases in the country.

A similar step could be taken for the Sri Lanka tour as well. Currently, Mohali, Dharamshala and Lucknow are supposed to host the T20Is while the Tests are to be played in Bengaluru and Mohali.

In this regard, the BCCI official said:

"BCCI wants to distribute international games to as many state associations. But the Covid-19 wave has made it difficult to do so. Confining a series to a certain region is convenient."

After these two tours, India will host Afghanistan for three ODIs in March.