BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has confirmed that India will host a pink-ball Test against Sri Lanka in the upcoming red-ball series at Bengaluru. India have only hosted two pink-ball affairs so far first at Eden Gardens, Kolkata and the other held at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. Bengaluru and Mohali will host the two-match Test series which will be part of the ICC World Test Championship.
Ganguly further said that the BCCI will announce the venues of the Sri Lanka series soon.
“Yes, the pink-ball Test will be happening in Bengaluru. We have not decided on all the venues for the Sri Lanka series yet, but it will be announced shortly,” the BCCI president told Sportstar.
After the white-ball series against the West Indies concludes in Kolkata on February 20, India will host Sri Lanka for three T20Is and two Tests scheduled for late February and early March.
With the current itinerary, former captain Virat Kohli is expected to play his 100th Test match in Bengaluru where he enjoyed a massive fan following because of his association with IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore.
India have won both pink-ball Test matches at home under Kohli’s leadership. However, there will be a new captain for the Sri Lanka Test series as Kohli relinquished the position last month after following a 1-2 series defeat to South Africa.
Also Read | IPL 2022: Batters, Bowlers and All-rounders Mumbai Indians Should Buy at the Mega Auction
Meanwhile, according to a report in TOI, Sri Lanka Cricket wants BCCI to tweak the schedule and hosts the T20I series ahead of the Test match to make it convenient for the players to shift from one bubble to another.
Ganguly further confirmed that the women’s T20 Challenge will be held this year in May. “The Women’s T20 Challenge will again be back this year in May. Hopefully, in the future, we will be able to host a bigger women’s IPL once the number of women players (player pool) goes up. But this year, the Women’s T20 Challenge will happen during the IPL playoffs.”
Get all the IPL news and Cricket Score here
,