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Virat Kohli has stepped down from captaincy in Tests, but he is still a vital cog in India's Test XI. Kohli has played 99 Tests so far and if he plays the first Test against Sri Lanka, it will be his 100th. And if the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sticks with the schedule decided, Kohli may play his 100th Test at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru. But with the COVID-19 surge continuing, the Indian cricket board may be compelled to move out the first Test out of Bengaluru.
One change in schedule has already been made (reportedly) to the pre-decided schedule and that is the series will start with T20Is in spite of Tests. Sources close to SportsTiger had confirmed a few days ago that the BCCI has decided to do so at the request of the Sri Lanka Cricket board. Also, the tour may start on 24 February instead of 25 February. With a change in dates, a change in venues was also expected. And according to a report in the Times of India, Bengaluru may not host the 1st Test which will be Kohli's 100th.
In addition, it is now being reported that the Bengaluru Test against Sri Lanka could be a day-night affair. "The Indian cricket board (BCCI) is planning to host this year's pink-ball day-night Test against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru," writes TOI in the report. It further states that the board is looking to host the three T20Is and the first Test in Dharmshala and Mohali before moving to Bengaluru for the final Test.
"To cut down on busy travel, the board is contemplating playing most of the series in Dharamshala and Mohali before moving to Bengaluru to finish the international home season," reports TOI.
No Lucknow in venues list?
With so much chopping and changing going on, the BCCI looks reluctant on taking the series to Lucknow. According to the old itinerary, the three T2oIs were to be played across three venues in Dharmshala, Mohali, and Lucknow. But now it seems that Lucknow may be excluded from the list of host cities for smoother conduct.
"There is a chance that the first two T20Is to start the tour will be played in Dharamshala before the series moves to Mohali for the third T20I and the first Test. Lucknow may miss out on hosting a T20I. Having the pink ball Test in Mohali is difficult since dew is expected to play a big role. However, BCCI is still monitoring the Covid-19 situation in the country. A final call to tweak the schedule will be taken soon," TOI quoted a BCCI source saying in its report.
If the first Test could have been played in Bengaluru, it would have been memorable for Virat Kohli to play his 100th game in the city for whom he has been playing in the IPL for the past 14 years and enjoys a massive fan following.
