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IND vs SL | Virat Kohli’s 100th Test to be held behind closed doors

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Former India captain Virat Kohli’s 100th Test match will be played behind closed doors, confirmed Punjab Cricket Association on Saturday, 26 February. The decision comes in the lieu of fresh Covid-19 cases in and around Mohali and the PCA not wanting to take any sort of risk as the Indian cricketers look to move on to the Indian Premier League season right after the Test series.

Kohli's 100th Test match has met with confusion in the last few months, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India lacking communication with the state associations. Earlier, the 100th Test match was speculated to be held in Bengaluru, a venue that Kohli has called home since the start of his IPL career. The Karnataka Cricket Association had then come out with a clarification stating that they had not been informed of such developments which later turned out to be true. The match was shifted to Mohali after the rescheduling of the series and now it has come to fore that the talismanic Indian captain would not have any spectators while he takes a field in a career milestone.

Kohli has been looking for that elusive hundred in international cricket - his 71st in the international arena. Kohli last crossed the three-figure mark back in November 2019 against Bangladesh in Kolkata, while his last Test hundred came against West Indies in the same year. The right hander has been in good touch off late, scoring three fifties in the South Africa series, once coming agonisingly close to his hundred in the second Test match.

At the moment, the former captain is taking a well deserved break from the T20I format.

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IND vs SL | What is the weather forecast for today’s match?

India and Sri Lanka are set to square up against each other in the second T20I international on Saturday, 26 February. While India secured a massive victory in the first game played at Lucknow, Sri Lanka are hoping that a change of venue for the second game of the three-match series brings a change in their fortunes. Sri Lanka’s record in the T20 format has been shambolic off late and the Dasun Shanaka-led team has failed to impress both in Australia and now against India. Sri Lanka will be playing a must-win game in Dharamshala today evening but it looks like the rain Gods might not be in their favour at all. The small Himalayan town is set to receive a good chunk of rainfall on Saturday evening which could essentially quash the encounter. The prediction as it stands is that the town will have 90% chances of rainfall right before the match, but there are chances that it can significantly go down as the evening progresses. However, situations could get murky if the ground staff are not able to clear the puddles of water from the outfield. In that case even if there is no rain later in the day, the game might have to be called off due to unsuitable playing conditions. India are 1-0 up in the series at the moment with Sri Lanka still scratching their heads over how to field a competitive XI with 5-6 of their main players out. The losses do not bode well for the Lankans who are free off their defeat against Australia and now are not able to compete in conditions that they are more familiarised with. With just a few months remaining before T20 World Cup, SL will hope to pin down a combination as soon as they can, else they could suffer the 2021 fate in the global competition once again.