Team India is lined up for several overseas tours in 2017 after a long and gruelling home season last year where India played against four different oppositions. The tour to South Africa, later in the year, will be one of the most eagerly anticipated series of the year but it is likely to hamper Sri Lanka’s tour to India in November-December.
Earlier this year, the BCCI agreed to take part in the Independence Cup in Sri Lanka involving the hosts, South Africa and Pakistan. But as per reports from Cricbuzz, it is learnt that the tournament might be changed to a tri nation series with the 3rd team as Bangladesh. The series will be held in March 2018 to mark Sri Lanka’s 70th Independence day.
The schedule for Sri Lanka’s tour of India hasn’t been finalised yet but they are expected to play 3 Tests, 5 ODI’s and a solitary T20I in India. The tour was originally scheduled for February but with the proposal of the Independence Cup which was given in January this year, The Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLC) requested the BCCI to reschedule their tour to India.
The schedule for both India’s tour of South Africa and Sri Lanka’s tour of India hasn’t been finalised yet but if the Sri Lanka series goes according to plan then the Indian team is expected to spend less amount of days in South Africa. After the completion of the ongoing series against Sri Lanka, India is lined up to play Australia and Sri Lanka in limited overs series in their own backyard before flying to South Africa.
“The Sri Lanka tour to India has been brought forward from February next year because we are hosting the tri-nation Independence Cup during that period,” Ashley de Silva, Sri Lanka Cricket CEO, was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz on Saturday
“Sri Lanka was due to tour India from February end to the first week of April next year and the dates would have clashed with the Independence Cup. That’s why we requested the Indian board for a change to bring the tour forward and they have agreed,” de Silva added.