Mumbai, Jul 8 : India's tour of South Africa later this year will commence with the visitors playing T20 and 50-over internationals against the hosts before taking them on in a three-Test series.
According to the schedule of the matches released today by Cricket South Africa, India will commence their tour with a T20 tour match against an SA Invitation XI at Potchefstroom on November 18 to gear up for the two-match T20 International series slated for November 21 and 24.
The visitors will then plunge into the best-of-seven ODI rubber, to be held between November 27 and December 15, prior to engaging the world's top-ranked team in a three-Test rubber from December 26 this year to January 19, 2014.
The three Tests will be played at Kingsmead (Durban), Sahara Park Newlands (Capetown) and the Wanderers (Johannesburg).
They will play two two-day warm-up games before the Test series.
The full tour schedule is:
Nov 18: T20 tour match, India v SA Invitation XI, Senwes Park, Potchefstroom (Day/Night).
Nov 21: 1st T20 International, Bidvest Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg (Day/Night)
Nov 24: 2nd T20 International, Sahara Park Newlands, Cape Town (Day)
Nov 27: 1st ODI, Sahara Stadium Kingsmead, Durban (Day/Night)
Nov 30: 2nd ODI, Axxess St. George's, Port Elizabeth (Day)
Dec 3: 3rd ODI, Buffalo Park, East London (Day/Night)
Dec 6: 4th ODI, SuperSport Park, Centurion (Day/Night)
Dec 8: 5th ODI, Bidvest Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
(Day)
Dec 12: 6th ODI, Chevrolet Park, Bloemfontein (Day/Night)
Dec 15: 7th ODI, Sahara Park Newlands, Cape Town (Day)
Dec 18-19: India v SA Invitation XI, Boland Park, Paarl
Dec 22-23: India v SA Invitation XI, The Oval,
Pietermaritzburg
Dec 26-30: 1st Test, Sahara Stadium Kingsmead, Durban
Jan 2-6, 2014: 2nd Test, Sahara Park Newlands, Cape Town
Jan 15-19: 3rd Test, Bidvest Wanderers Stadium,
Johannesburg.
South Africa will take on Australia in a three-Test series after the conclusion of the Indian tour.
The Australia visit is set to conclude on March 14 with a T20 International before the two teams fly to Bangladesh for the ICC World Twenty20 championship commencing on March 16, CSA announced.
“It promises to be a wonderful summer of hotly contested international cricket,” said CSA Acting CEO Naasei Appiah, who also noted the popularity enjoyed by the Indian players in his country and senior cricketer Sachin Tendulkar's scheduled 200th Test appearance in the second match at Capetown.
“India are the current undisputed champions of 50 overs cricket and it was not that long ago that they briefly held the No. 1 ranking in Test cricket as well. The Indian players have always been very popular in South Africa and their maestro, Sachin Tendulkar, has currently played 198 Test matches. It would be wonderful for his
200th Test match to be in front of a packed New Year's crowd at Sahara Park Newlands.”
“The last time he played a Test match there his battle with Dale Steyn thrilled a global audience,” he added.
