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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are reportedly laying down the groundwork to stage the Bengaluru Test against Sri Lanka as a pink ball contest. India have only hosted a solitary day-night Test so far since the concept's inception in 2016.
Sri Lanka Cricket put in a request for the T20I series to be played first to facilitate an easy bubble transfer from Australia, where they will play a five-match series. The Lankan side are touring India to play three T20Is and two Tests. According to the initial schedule, Mohali and Bengaluru were named as the hosting venues for the Test.
It is still unclear which Test will be contested in Bengaluru. Given that Virat Kohli missed a fixture in South Africa, he will have the opportunity to play his 100th Test at home against the Islanders. Hosting the occasion in Bengaluru would add sentimental value due to the connection Kohli has with the city through the IPL.
A BCCI source said:
"There is a chance that the first two T20Is to start the tour will be played in Dharamshala before the series moves to Mohali for the third T20I and the first Test. Lucknow may miss out on hosting a T20I."
They went on to add:
"Having the pink ball Test in Mohali is difficult since dew is expected to play a big role. However, BCCI is still monitoring the Covid-19 situation in the country. A final call to tweak the schedule will be taken soon."
The merging of fixtures to a single venue has come on the back of a rising number of COVID-19 cases in India. The upcoming series against West Indies has also been confined to two venues, namely Ahmedabad and Kolkata.
Bengaluru could become the second Indian city to host a pink ball Test
India hosted its first day-night Test in 2019 against Bangladesh at Eden Gardens. The fixture ended in three days as India recorded a massive win by an innings and 46 runs. The Chinaswamy Stadium in Bangalore could be the second venue in the country to host a day-night fixture.
Sri Lanka and India have identical records in day-night Tests so far, winning two and losing one. The island nation are the only side among the top-ranked teams not to host a day-night Test.
The Test series will close out a short home season for India before the focus shifts over to the IPL, a couple of overseas tours and the T20 World Cup to end the year.
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