SLC Modifies India Tour Of Sri Lanka 2026 Schedule; Setback For Shubman Gill's Team

Shubman Gill and co set to face Sri Lanka [Source: AFP]

India's tour of Sri Lanka has received an important update ahead of the two-match Test series. The series is set to begin on August 15 and it marks India's return to red-ball cricket after completing the T20I series against Zimbabwe. 

Notably, the series is also a part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle. Both India and Sri Lanka will be looking to improve their position in the WTC standings after disappointing results in their previous Test assignments. 

At the same time, India will be hoping to continue its impressive record in Sri Lanka, where they have won their last five Tests and have remained unbeaten in bilateral Test series since 2008.

India's Warm-up Match Reduced To Three Days

According to a report by Cricbuzz, India's practice match against the Sri Lanka Local XI has been shortened from four days to three days.

Earlier, when the BCCI announced India's squad for the tour, it had confirmed that the team would play a four-day practice match in Colombo starting on August 7. However, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has now informed the BCCI and the Indian team management that the fixture will now last only three days.

So far, neither the BCCI nor Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has revealed the reason behind this change in schedule.

Meanwhile, Team India, led by Shubman Gill, will leave for Sri Lanka on August 4. The practice match will be played at the NCC Ground in Colombo, which is located close to the SSC Stadium.

After the warm-up fixture ends, India will travel to Galle for the opening Test, beginning on August 15. Following that, both teams will move to Colombo for 2nd Test at the SSC Stadium, starting on August 21.

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Why The Practice Match Was Important For India

The reduction of the practice match could be a setback for India's preparations. The last time India toured Sri Lanka for a Test series was back in 2017, when they played a three-match series.

Since then, the Indian Test team has gone through several changes. Many of the senior players from that tour have retired. Only a handful of players, including Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul, remain in the current squad.

Therefore, the practice game was expected to help the players adjust to Sri Lankan conditions, which are very different from those in India or England.

Moreover, India's last Test series was played in June against England. With nearly a two-month gap between Test matches, the players needed valuable match practice before entering an important WTC series.

Shubman Gill Had Earlier Stressed On Better Preparation

Interestingly, captain Shubman Gill had earlier spoken about the importance of giving the team enough preparation time before Test series, especially when switching from white-ball cricket to the longer format.

Speaking after India's 2-0 Test series defeat in South Africa, Shubman Gill said that proper preparation is essential while moving from limited-overs cricket to Test cricket.

"I think it's important to at least have some bit of preparation, some time. Especially when changing from white-ball format to red-ball."

Now, with India's only practice match reduced by one day, the team will have slightly less time to get used to the conditions before the opening Test.

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