Rohit Sharma-led India side will play their opening match against Sri Lanka in the Nidahas Trophy T20 tri-nation series at R Premdasa Stadium in Colombo on Tuesday. However, there were some doubts over the continuation of the tournament after some violence and curfew in the Sri Lanka's Kandy.
Sri Lanka imposed a curfew Monday in popular tourist town Kandy after days of communal unrest that saw a man killed.
However, Indian cricket board BCCI clarified that there was no trouble in Colombo and the Nidahas Trophy will go on as scheduled. All the matches of the Nidahas Trophy are to be played at R Premdasa Stadium in Colombo.
It said, "There have been reports of curfew and an emergency being called in Sri Lanka. The situation is in Kandy, not Colombo. After talking to concerned security personnel, we have understood that situation is completely normal in Colombo."
Police had been placed on alert in Kandy, home to famous tea plantations and Buddhist relics, to ensure that the “situation does not spiral into inter communal conflagration,” the government said. “The government appeals to all parties and especially the general public to act with responsibility and remain calm,” it said in a statement.
Police said there had been riots and arson attacks since the weekend in Kandy.
Religious and ethnic violence can turn deadly in Sri Lanka, where Muslims account for 10 percent of the population and Sinhalese make up nearly 75 percent. In June 2014 riots between two communities left four dead and many injured.
