IND vs SL: The dates for Team India’s Test tour of Sri Lanka have been released, with the red-ball matches set to be part of the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. Galle and Colombo will host the two Tests in August, with the first Test set to begin on August 15, while the second will commence on August 23.
When did Team India last play a Test series in Sri Lanka?
India last played a Test series in Sri Lanka in 2017. The Virat Kohli-Test side went on to win the three-Test series 3-0, headlined by winning the second and third game in Colombo and Pallekele by an innings. Shikhar Dhawan emerged as the Player of The Series for aggregating 358 runs only in four innings, averaging 89.50. The win in 2017 proved to be India’s second successive series win over Sri Lanka in their backyard as they conquered the Island nation in 2015 too with a 2-1 victory.
India tour of Sri Lanka dates out. pic.twitter.com/1QW4rLXljp
— Sahil Malhotra (@Sahil_Malhotra1) July 2, 2026
Nevertheless, the Indian team will come to Sri Lanka on this occasion with a revamped side, with the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin and Shikhar Dhawan retiring. The likes of Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Ajinkya Rahane are no longer part of the side.
What are India’s and Sri Lanka’s current World Test Championship standings?
Meanwhile, the recent Test performances of India and Sri Lanka have been inconsistent. Sri Lanka were in the upper half of the WTC 2025-27 points table after two Test matches but a massive innings defeat at the hands of the West Indies in the opening Test has set them back as the Island nation have slid to 6th.
Meanwhile, India are currently fifth, behind Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Bangladesh. They had started the cycle with a promising 2-2 in England. India beat the West Indies 2-0 at home but lost to South Africa 0-2, making their path to the final incredibly difficult. Their hopes of making it to the decider rest largely on beating New Zealand in their backyard and registering a home series win over Australia in early 2027.
