India vs SL: Series to start with T20Is, with day-night Tests to follow in Bengaluru

After a request from the visiting side, Team India will now begin the series against Sri Lanka with T20Is and then play the Test matches, reversing the previous schedule.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) had requested that the T20I series be moved ahead of the Test matches to enable for an easier bubble-to-bubble transition of their T20I squad, which will have just returned from a series in Australia.

The dates for the series are still being worked out, but according to ESPNcricinfo, the BCCI looks to have agreed to Sri Lanka Cricket's request.

Due to the change in scheduling, Virat Kohli will not play his 100th Test in Bengaluru, which was a possibility after he ended the South Africa tour with 99 Tests.

The first Test will now be held at Mohali, with the tour-ending pink-ball Test being held in the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, which has just refurbished its flood lights.

Dharamsala, on the other hand, is expected to host the first two T20Is of the tour before the teams go to Mohali for the final match.

Due to fog and heavy dew in northern India during the winters, the board is hesitant to organise the day-night Test in Mohali. According to a Karnataka State Cricket Association official, another reason for the shift is that Bengaluru has direct flights to Colombo, allowing Sri Lanka to travel home without stopping.

The BCCI has only hosted two pink-ball Test matches in India so far, despite being hesitant to do so for a long time.

In 2019, India hosted their first-ever day-night Test match against Bangladesh at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, while the second pink-ball encounter was held last year at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Both Tests were won by India in three days.