Bhubaneswar:

Sari-clad cheerleaders will perform for the first time during the day and night one-day international cricket match between India and Sri Lanka Dec 21 at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.

The cheerleaders will wear Sambalpuri saris -- the oldest form of the tie-and-dye handwoven textile -- and perform whenever a boundary is hit or a wicket falls, Orissa Cricket Association (OCA) secretary Ashirbad Behera told IANS.

`At least 15 Oriya girls between 18 and 20 would be selected for the purpose. They will be placed in three different parts of the stadium,` he said.

`The girls will not wear short skirts as has been done in many other places because it would be against our culture and tradition.

Our audience will not accept it. They will have modest traditional attire. They will be dressed as per our tradition and culture.`

OCA has already placed an order to buy the saris from a state cooperative body, Behera added.

Music from superhit Oriya films or albums would be played in the background when the girls perform, he said.

OCA had thought of introducing similarly-clad cheerleaders during the day-night ODI between India and England Nov 26 last year, but it cancelled the plan saying that it did not have adequate time to organise it.