The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced the itinerary for India’s tour of South Africa which begins on December 10, on July 14, 2023.
The tour will begin with a three-match T20I series, followed by a three-match ODI series, and will culminate with the Freedom Series for Gandhi-Mandela Trophy involving two Tests.
This will also mark the beginning of the 2023-2025 World Test Championship cycle for South Africa. The India series will be the only men’s international cricket played in South Africa in the 2023-24 summer – South Africa host Australia for three T20Is and five ODIs in August-September – and will be followed immediately by the SA20.
Mr Lawson Naidoo, CSA Chairperson, said: “I eagerly await the arrival of the Indian Cricket Team and their passionate fans on our shores. This is an important tour for both teams and I am really pleased that we will have a full tour comprising all three formats of the game. Both South Africa and India boast exceptional talent, and we can look forward to exciting cricket and thrilling matches. The tour also allows us to showcase the best of South Africa and we have spread out matches across the nation. We share an excellent rapport with BCCI, and I thank them for their support right throughout.”
South Africa is due to travel to New Zealand for two Tests before a mid-year series in the Caribbean. South Africa will only play two-Test series for the duration of the 2023-2025 WTC cycle, with their next three-Test series set for October 2026, when they host Australia.
Tour To Begin With T20Is, Followed By Odis And Then Test Matches
The tour will begin with a three-T20I series to be played from December 10-14, which will then be followed by three ODIs, which will take place from December 17-21.
Finally, the two-Test series will begin between the two sides with the traditional Boxing Day and New Year period, at SuperSport Park and Newlands respectively. The New Year’s Test returns to Cape Town after a four-year absence following the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The Freedom Series is significant not just because it features two excellent Test teams, but also because it honors Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, two great leaders who shaped our respective nations, and the world around them.
The Boxing Day Test and the New Year Test are amongst the most important fixtures on the international cricket calendar and the schedule has been planned particularly around these marquee dates. India has always received strong support in South Africa, and I am confident that fans will be treated to some enthralling contests with no shortage of intensity,” Jay Shah, Secretary of BCCI.
Full schedule for India’s tour to South Africa:
10 December 2023 – 1st T20I – Durban
12 December 2023 – 2nd T20I – Gqeberha
14 December 2023 – 3rd T20I – Johannesburg
17 December 2023 – 1st ODI – Johannesburg
19 December 2023 – 2nd ODI – Gqeberha
21 December 2023 – 3rd ODI – Paarl
26 Dec to 30 Dec – 1st Test – Centurion
03 Jan to 07 Jan – 2nd Test – Cape Town
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) July 14, 2023