PNN & Agencies
New Delhi, July 27: South Africa will visit India for their longest ever tour to the sub-continent, the schedule of which was jointly announced by the BCCI and Cricket South Africa (CSA), Monday. The series will begin with three T20s, with Cuttack hosting the second October 5. This T20 series will be followed by five ODIs and four Tests.
“I am delighted to confirm, together with the BCCI, the Proteas’ itinerary for our tour of India later this year,” said CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat. “This will be the longest tour that we have undertaken to India and the first time we will play a four-Test series. Both countries are now working to develop this into an iconic series. Another first is that we will be playing our first T20 match against India in India,” he added.
South Africa’s talismanic captain AB de Villiers is scheduled to play his 100th Test at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. “Of note will be the second Test match to be played in Bangalore where we secured our only ever Test series victory in India in 2000. If all works out this will be AB’s (de Villiers) 100th Test there,” Lorgat pointed out.
The problem for the tour, however, will definitely be the monsoons. The rains are very much prevalent in the early part of October and the Barabati Stadium at Cuttack will again be under the scanner. In October 2013, the match between India and Australia was washed out due to heavy rains. That game was scheduled for October 24, so the game in the first week of October will definitely give the Orissa Cricket officials sleepless nights.
A senior OCA official said Monday in Cuttack that the match will be insured against natural calamities. He also stated that OCA will have all the amenities in place to dry the ground at a short notice.