Harsha Bhogle bats for 'strict bubble' as India-Sri Lanka series is set to be rescheduled

Veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle has given his opinion on the rescheduling of the upcoming limited-overs series between India and Sri Lanka. The bilateral series that was originally scheduled to get underway on July 13 is reportedly scheduled to begin from July 17.

Harsha Bhogle reacts as India-Sri Lanka series gets rescheduled

Taking to the micro-blogging site, Harsha Bhogle wrote that in the times we live in, no series is on till it actually begins. The 'Voice of Indian Cricket' then added that now the upcoming Sri Lanka-India series to get pushed back because of cases in the SL team returning from England.

Furthermore, Bhogle added that increasingly, the only way to play is to have a 'strict bubble'. 

According to ESPNcricinfo, the white-ball series which was slated to take place from July 13 has been proposed to be shifted to July 17. On Thursday, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) confirmed that batting coach Grant Flower who returned along with Lankan players from England had tested positive for COVID-19. 

Now, Sri Lanka Cricket has revealed that the Data Analyst of the Sri Lanka National Team, G. T. Niroshan, has tested positive for COVID19. As per the official statement released by the Sri Lanka Cricket, "He was found to be positive, following a PCR Test carried out among the National Players, Coaches, and Support Staff yesterday, following the identification of Grant Flower as COVID Positive."

New schedule for India vs Sri Lanka?

As per the report, the first ODI between India and Sri Lanka, which was earlier scheduled to be held on July 13, is likely to be played on July 17. The second and third ODI will take place on July 19 and 21 respectively. The T20I series is likely to begin from July 24.
However, there is no official confirmation by the BCCI or Sri Lanka Cricket over the postponement of the series. Notably, The Sri Lankan players who have returned from England have been kept under quarantine, and therefore the players have not started their training session for the India series. 

Following the completion of the Sri Lanka-England series, multiple COVID cases were reported in the English camp due to which the entire English squad was placed under quarantine. In fact, the ECB announced a new 18-member squad for the Pakistan series.