Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Ground Mohali is all set to host the first Test match against Sri Lanka which will be Virat Kohli’s 100th Test match in his career. According to the earlier schedule, it was set to be played in Bengaluru but now the tour will start with the T20I series.
Sri Lanka will travel to India for a series of 2 Tests and 3 T20Is in February-March. According to a report in Cricbuzz, the series will start with the T20I matches. The T20I series will kick on at Lucknow on February 24 which will be followed by two T20Is in Dharamsala on February 26 and 27 at the HPCA Stadium.
“We don’t know if it is a day-night Test. All we know is it will be from March 12 to 16,” a KSCA official spoke to Cricbuzz as they are waiting for a confirmation from BCCI.
According to the original schedule, the series was supposed to start in Bengaluru which would be Virat Kohli’s 100th test match. Bengaluru is also the home ground of RCB, the IPL franchise for which Virat Kohli played for.
Earlier Kohli was supposed to play the 100th test at Cape Town but he missed a Test match at Johannesburg due to an upper back spasm. Virat Kohli so far scored 7962 runs in 99 Test matches with an average of 50.39 which included 27 tons and 28 fifties. He made his Test debut in 2011.
Notable after the series loss in South Africa, Kohli decided to step down from the captaincy role in Test cricket. The series against Sri Lanka will be important for India in the context of the ICC World Test Championship. India currently sits at no.5 in the points table. On the other side, Sri Lanka won both matches against West Indies in their only series in this WTC so far.