India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh to play Nidahas Trophy trophy in March

New Delhi: Soon after Team India's two-month tour of South Africa gets over, Virat Kohli & Co will play a T20I tri-series for the Nidahas Trophy involving India's south Asian rivals Bangladesh and hosts Sri Lanka as the other two teams.

It has been revealed that the three teams will play a total of 7 matches from March 8-20, which means each team will get to play the other two teams twice before the final.

Colombo's R Premadasa Stadium will host all the seven matches in the tournament.

The tri-nation series will be played as a part of Sri Lanka's 70th Independence Day celebrations. Called the Nidahas Trophy, it was also played in 1998, marking Sri Lanka's 50 years of independence and Sri Lanka Cricket's 50 years of inception.

This comes after Sri Lanka agreed to tour India for a short tour featuring the ongoing three-match Test series followed by three ODIs and three T20Is as a part of India's 70th Independence day celebrations.

Speaking about the tournament, Rahul Johri, BCCI CEO, added: "We are privileged to be a part of Sri Lanka's 70th year celebrations, there is no closer friend to the BCCI than Sri Lanka [and Bangladesh] and when Mr. Sumathipala first floated this invitation, there was almost instant agreement that the Indian Team would participate for this reason."

SLC President Thilanga Sumathipala said, "70 years is a long journey and one that needs to be commemorated and celebrated. We are happy that our closest neighbours, who share more or less the same journey of independence are joining us in this celebration, which we believe will be a milestone and an augur of the great things to come in the annals of cricket."

After the ongoing home series against Sri Lanka, the Virat Kohli-led Indian team will tour South Africa where they will take on the Proteas in a four-match Test series starting on January 5, 2018, followed by six ODIs and three T20Is.

India's 51-day tour of South Africa will come to an end on February 24, two weeks before the start of Independence Cup.