Sri Lanka ODI team stopped from travelling to India; here's why

Sri Lankan players were stopped from travelling to India to play a three-match One Day International series starting in Dharamsala on Sunday (December 10).

The islanders are currently involved in a three-Test rubber against India. The final match of the series is under way at Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla stadium. However, the contest is marred by air pollution issues as the visitors wore masks while playing.

Now, another controversy has hit the Sri Lankan team ahead of their limited-overs series. Thisara Perera was appointed as the ODI captain and current Test skipper Dinesh Chandimal, who is playing in India, was dropped.

According to news agency "AFP", Sri Lankan Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera stopped nine cricketers from leaving for India on Monday night (December 4).

Jayasekera was not happy with the selection of the ODI team for India and hence he ordered the players to come back as they were on their way to Colombo airport to board a flight.

Perera, Upul Tharanga, Danushka Gunathilaka, Asela Gunaratne, Chathuranga de Silva, Sachith Pathirana, Dushmantha Chameera, Suranga Lakmal and Nuwan Pradeep were the players who had to delay their departure to India. The rest of the squad members are already in India as part of the Test line-up.

A "Cricbuzz" report said the players were already in the airport and one of them had even boarded the flight.

"Most players reached the airport around 9pm on Monday. Left-arm spinner Sachith Pathirana had even boarded the flight, but they were told to go back home as the team didn't have the approval of the minister of sports," a Sri Lankan Cricket (SLC) official was quoted as saying by the website.

Sri Lanka ODI squad: Thisara Perera (captain), Upul Tharanga, Danushka Gunathilaka, Niroshan Dickwella, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews, Asela Gunaratne, Chathuranga de Silva, Sachith Pathirana, Akila Dananjaya, Jeffrey Vandersay, Dushmantha Chameera, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep.