BCCI announces schedule for India’s first Test series in Sri Lanka after 9 years

This will be India's first Test series in the island nation since 2017, two years before the inaugural ICC World Test Championship (WTC) officially began. Virat Kohli was then the captain of the Indian Test team, where Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul opened the batting, and Hardik Pandya was still an all-rounder option in red-ball cricket, a format from which he removed himself a year later, owing to a struggle with back injuries.

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Much has changed in Indian cricket since that 2017 series, when India won 3-0. In fact, Kuldeep Yadav and KL Rahul are the only two players from that squad to remain active or in reckoning in the format now.

This will be India's first Test series in the WTC cycle since the infamous 0-2 whitewash at home against South Africa last November. Shubman Gill's side, however, did play a red-ball game after the resumption of international cricket post IPL 2026, having faced Afghanistan in a one-off game in Mullanpur last month, but the match was not part of the WTC cycle.

Overall, India have played three series in this WTC cycle thus far. They drew 2-2 in England last year, then beat the West Indies 2-0 at home in October, before losing to the Proteas. They stand fifth in the table with a PCT of 48.15 after four wins in nine games. Should India script a whitewash in Sri Lanka, a 1-0 win or a 1-1 draw, they will remain at the same position.

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