Colombo, Nov 29: The crisis-ridden Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and its host broadcaster will have something to cheer about during the middle of 2024 when the Indian team makes it annual ritual tour of the islands for a short six-match white-ball series, the board announced on Wednesday.

SLC has been banned by the ICC for government interference and the global body has also shifted the U-19 World Cup to South Africa. However the national teams (men and women) will be allowed to fulfil their bilateral commitments.

According to the 2024 calender released by SLC, India is supposed to travel for three ODI and T20Is each during July-August, which is effectively country's cricket season.

The men's national team is due to play 52 international games in 2024, which includes 10 Tests, 21 ODIs and 21 T20Is. The T20Is, however, doesn't factor in the additional games that they will play during the T20 World Cup.

One of the major assignment will be the three-Test away series in England, which is a part of the current World Test Championship. The other tough assignment will be the two-Test series against South Africa in November.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Nagpur, Jan 11: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday said his party will contest the upcoming elections to the various local bodies alone.

Talking to reporters, the Rajya Sabha MP said the INDIA bloc and Maha Vikas Aghadi alliances were for the Lok Sabha and assembly polls.

"In an alliance, workers of individual parties don't get opportunities, and it hampers organisational growth. We will contest polls to the Mumbai, Thane, Nagpur and other municipal corporations, zilla parishads and panchayats on our strength," he said.

He said party chief Uddhav Thackeray gave the party indications that it should go alone.

Hitting out at Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar for indulging in a blame game over the MVA's defeat in the state assembly, Raut said those who don't believe in consensus and compromise have no right to be in an alliance.

He further claimed that the INDIA bloc did not hold a single meeting after the Lok Sabha elections.

"We were not able to appoint even a convenor for INDIA bloc. It isn't good. As the largest party of the alliance, it was the Congress's responsibility to convene a meeting," the Sena (UBT) leader said.

Reacting to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's remark that he has never mentioned farm loan waivers in his speeches, Raut said, "Even if he hasn't spoken about it. Farm loan waiver and Rs 2,100 for Laadki Bahin beneficiaries are mentioned in the BJP's poll manifesto. These two promises have to be implemented. He is the finance minister in the BJP government, and he will have to do it."

To a query on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks during his first podcast that he is human and can make mistakes, Raut said, "He (Modi) is god. I don't consider him a human. God is god. If someone declares him an incarnation of god, how can he be a human? He is the 13th avatar of Vishnu. If someone who has been considered god says he is human, something is wrong. There is chemical 'locha'."