The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) finally broke its silence over reports claiming that the first One Day International (ODI) match between India and Sri Lanka, scheduled for December 13 in Delhi, had been shifted to Ahmedabad amid concerns over ongoing construction work at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia on Monday clarified that no decision had been made to shift the fixture out of Delhi and urged the media to rely on official BCCI updates for accurate information.
”Reports suggesting that the India-Sri Lanka ODI match scheduled in Delhi may be shifted to Ahmedabad are not accurate. There has been no such decision by the BCCI. We request media colleagues to kindly refer to official BCCI communications for any updates regarding the schedule. Further, it needs to be reiterated that bilateral matches are primarily allotted by following a standard policy,” Saikia said.
For those unversed, Ahmedabad is already hosting the third and final ODI match in the 3-match series against Sri Lanka on December 19. The island nation is scheduled to tour India from December 13 to December 27 this year for a limited-overs series, which includes three ODIs and three T20Is.
Sri Lanka tour of India: Full fixtures
ODI series
1st ODI (Dec 13): India vs Sri Lanka, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi (2 PM)
2nd ODI (Dec 16): India vs Sri Lanka, Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru (2 PM)
3rd ODI (Dec 19): India vs Sri Lanka, Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad (2 PM)
T20I series
1st T20I (Dec 22): India vs Sri Lanka, Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot (7 PM)
2nd T20I (Dec 24): India vs Sri Lanka, Barabati Stadium, Cuttack (7 PM)
3rd T20I (Dec 27): India vs Sri Lanka, Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune (7 PM)