The Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the schedule for the tour of South Africa later this year. The Men in Blue will face the Proteas in three T20Is, three ODIs, and two ODIs, starting on December 10th with the shortest format. India's visit concludes with the second Test, starting on January 3rd.
The tour starts with three T20Is, hosted by Durban (December 10th), Gqeberha (December 12th), and Johannesburg (December 14th). The caravan moves to the 50-over games as the two teams will stay in Johannesburg for the first ODI on the 17th. The next two games will take place in Gqeberha (December 19th) and Paarl (December 21st).
The first Test (December 26th-December 30th), set to stage by the Supersport Park, Centurion, is likely to be a Boxing Day Test. The Newlands Stadium in Cape Town will stage the second.
India yet to win a Test series in South Africa:
Meanwhile, the Men in Blue are yet to win a Test series in South Africa, having first toured the country in 1992. Virat Kohli and co. created a genuine a chance for themselves when India played the Proteas in their backyard in 2021.
The visitors picked up a commanding victory in the first Test before, but South Africa bounced back to win the next two, thanks to their captain Dean Elgar's gritty half-centuries to help his side chase stiff targets. India lost the following three-game ODI series 3-0. Given South Africa's recent form in Tests, Rohit Sharma's men should fancy their chances on this occasion.