Sri Lanka vs India series to be postponed to July 17 due to Covid-19 concerns

India's white-ball series against Sri Lanka, which were to take place from July 13 has been pushed back by four to five days and will now begin from either July 17 or 18. The delay is due to a couple of staff members, who had recently toured England had returned with positive Covid-19 reports upon arrival in Sri Lanka.

"Yes, the series will now start from 17th of July instead of 13th. The decision was taken in consultation with SLC keeping the safety and security of players in mind," a senior BCCI official told PTI, confirming the development. 

On Thursday (July 8), Sri Lanka batting coach Grant Flower tested positive for the coronavirus and on Friday (July 9) one of their data analysts suffered the same fate. 

"We are discussing a few options on the fresh itinerary," a source in SLC told PTI. With all the games at the Premadasa Stadium, the dates can be kept flexible as no travelling is involved.

Upon completion of their quarantine, India were allowed to train and in fact, played a couple of intra-squad matches as well.  Si Lanka Cricket (SLC) is expected to announce the new schedule on Saturday (July 10).

With the main Indian squad busy with the preparation for the Test series against England, Shikhar Dhawan was appointed to lead a 'second-string' side in the three-match One-Day International (ODI) series, followed by the T20 Internationals (T20I) also consisting of three matches. 

This tour was considered a chance for many to stake a claim for a place for the T20 World Cup, scheduled to be played in October-November in UAE and Oman.

As per the original schedule, the series was to start with the ODI leg on July 13, followed by matches on July 16 and July 18. The T20I games were scheduled for July 21, July 23 and July 25.

Wary of the threat posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, SLC has kept two groups of players in bio-bubbles - one in Colombo, and one in Dambulla - as part of its contingency plans ahead of the upcoming limited-overs series against India.

As per a report in ESPNcricinfo, players from among these two groups could potentially feature against India in the limited-overs series. 

At the end of Sri Lanka's limited-overs series in England, as many as seven members of the home team had tested positive for Covid-19, which has forced a massive overhaul of the teams that are currently taking on Pakistan.

As many as nine uncapped players have been named in the ODI squad against Pakistan, with Ben Stokes asked to return sooner than expected to lead the side.

(With inputs from PTI)