India to play 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is and 2 Tests on their tour of South Africa.
The schedule for the Indian team’s tour of South Africa later this year was announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Cricket South Africa (CSA) on July 14, 2023.
The tour will see India playing three T20Is, three ODIs, and two Tests for Gandhi-Mandela Trophy with the series beginning on December 10 and culminating on January 3rd with the second Test.
The tour is set to start with three T20Is which will be played on December 10, 12, and 14 in Durban, Gqeberha, and Johannesburg, respectively. Johannesburg will also host the first of the three ODIs on December 17, with the following two games scheduled at Gqeberha and Paarl on December 19 and 21.
The final leg of the series consisting of two Tests, both part of the World Test Championship 2023-25, will be played in Centurion and Cape Town, with the former hosting the Boxing Day Test from December 26 to 30, followed by the New Year’s affair from January 7 to 11.
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"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 said.
The two-Test series will also mark the beginning of the World Test Championship 2023-25 season for South Africa and they are only scheduled to play two-match Test series in this WTC cycle.
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 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.”
The 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
(BCCI/CSA inputs)