As the Indian women’s cricket team trained at the R Premadasa Stadium on Friday evening, an unexpected visitor appeared — a snake.

The sight of the reptile, a common rat snake or “Garandiya" in Sinhalese, is not unusual at this venue.

It has made appearances during Lanka Premier League fixtures and was even spotted during a Sri Lanka-Bangladesh ODI in July earlier this year, making it something of a strange tradition here.

“It’s not venomous. It doesn’t bite. It’s a Garandiya, just looking for rats," a ground official was quoted as saying to PTI.

On Friday, the greyish-brown snake was seen slithering along the drains and the stands, just as the Indian players were moving from the centre wicket towards the nets.

Instead of causing panic, the sight of the reptile sparked amusement among

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