ODIs for starters on India's big South Africa tour

India will get done with their T20 and ODI commitments before the Test series gets underway in South Africa later this year.

According to the schedule released yesterday 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 shift focus to the best-of-seven ODI rubber, to be held between November 27 and December 15. The three-Test series gets underway thereafter from Dec 26. The 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.

On the last tour of South Africa in 2010-11, the ODI series was held after the Test series. India had drawn the Test series but lost 3-2 in the shorter format of the game.u00a0However on the 2006-07 tour, the ODIs preceded the Tests in a South African season where India lost both contests.

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.

Detailed itinerary
> Nov 18: T20 tour match, India v SA Invitation XI, Senwes Park, Potchefstroom (D/N).
> Nov 21: 1st T20 International, Bidvest Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg (D/N) Nov 24: 2nd T20 International, Sahara Park Newlands, Cape Town (Day).
> Nov 27: 1st ODI, Sahara Stadium Kingsmead, Durban (D/N) Nov 30: 2nd ODI, Axxess St. George's, Port Elizabeth (Day) Dec 3: 3rd ODI, Buffalo Park, East London (D/N) Dec 6: 4th ODI, SuperSport Park, Centurion (D/N) Dec 8: 5th ODI, Bidvest Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg (Day) Dec 12: 6th ODI, Chevrolet Park, Bloemfontein (D/N) 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.u00a0

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