India to Tour Sri Lanka for Tests After Nine Years, Schedule Announced

India are set to tour Sri Lanka for a Test series for the first time in nearly nine years. The two-match series will be played from August 15 to 27, with matches scheduled in Galle and Colombo.

The first Test will begin on August 15 in Galle, while the second and final Test will start on August 23 at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Ground in Colombo. Although floodlights have recently been installed at the SSC, the series will not feature a day-night Test. Both matches will start at the usual local time of 10:00 a.m.

India last toured Sri Lanka for a Test series in 2017. Since then, they have won five consecutive Tests on Sri Lankan soil and have not lost a Test series in the island nation since 2008.

No warm-up match has been officially announced so far, although an earlier draft of the itinerary had included a four-day practice match in Colombo.

The series will also mark the first World Test Championship (WTC) meetings between the two teams in Sri Lanka during the current cycle. India are in need of crucial WTC points after suffering a 2-0 whitewash against South Africa in their most recent series. They currently sit fifth in the WTC standings with four wins, four defeats and one draw. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have slipped to sixth following an innings defeat to the West Indies.

Australia and South Africa currently lead the race for a place in the WTC final, with New Zealand close behind in third. The top two teams at the end of the cycle will contest the 2027 WTC Final. India have reached two of the first three WTC finals but are still chasing their maiden title. Sri Lanka’s best finish in the competition remains fifth.