Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the itinerary for India’s tour of South Africa on Wednesday.
It will consist of three Sunfoil Test matches, six Momentum One-Day Internationals and three KFC T20 International matches.
India arrive in South Africa on 28 December, and their tour will start with a two-day practice match at Boland Park on December 30 and 31. The first Test match is at PPC Newlands, starting on January 5.
The specific dates and venues for all the remaining fixtures will be confirmed shortly.
CSA also announced plans to host the first ever four-day day/night Test match to be played at St George’s Park against Zimbabwe, starting on Boxing Day.
“We have now finalised the fixtures for a very busy home summer of international cricket,” CSA CEO Haroon Lorgat said.
“The Mahatma Gandhi-Nelson Mandela Test series starts at Newlands on Friday, January 5 and will be a series to be watched as the number one and two-ranked teams in the world challenge for the Freedom Trophy.
“The time constraints faced by India have forced us to reduce the Test matches to three, while increasing white-ball cricket to six ODIs and three T20I matches.
“To ensure we do not disappoint our loyal fans over the traditional Boxing Day period and to take advantage of our brand-new lights at St George’s Park, we will host Zimbabwe in the first ever four-day day-night Test match to be played. The Test status of the match is subject to ICC approval.
Virat Kohli and his Indian team will arrive in South Africa on December 28. Photo: Reuters
“This will give us a total of 10 home Test matches this summer against Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, India and Australia, making this our busiest home Test season ever.
“The extensive revamping of our international grounds are on schedule and the day-night Test match promises to be a world-class experience for the players and fans.
“The Proteas are currently ranked No 1 and India No 3 in ODI cricket, so fans will have the chance to see great cricket in the limited-overs format too.”