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Team India will fly for South Africa on December 16, for a month long tour comprising of three Tests and as many as ODIs. Before leaving the country, the team will spend four days quarantine period upon their arrival in Mumbai on December 12.
Reportedly, in view of recently discovered new Covid-19 variant Omicron, the team will have to remain in bio-bubble till the series ends, whereas the players playing the game will spend additional four days, total of 44 days in restricted environment.
The new variant had its affect on the tour too, as earlier the team was supposed to play four match T20 bilateral series but keeping in mind the safety, it has been postponed till next year. Even Proteas home series against Netherlands was cut short, as visitors flew back home following multiple European countries putting travel restrictions on southern territories of Africa. Even, ICC Women's World Cup qualifiers in Zimbawe was also cancelled.
As per the original scheduled tour, team India were to reach South Africa by December 9, with Test series to start from December 17. Whereas, now the first Test has been scheduled to take place on December 26 in Centurion, followed by the second in Johannesburg from January 3 and the third and final one to take place in Cape Town on January 11.
The ODI series which is standalone bilateral event and kept away from ICC ODI World Cup Super League, will now commence from January 19 in Paarl, which will also host the second ODI on January 21 before the final one in Cape Town on Jan. 23. However, team were to play four T20 matches, but both the boards mutually decided to reschedule those for later this year.
The BCCI had recently announced an 18-member squad for the three Tests, starting with the Boxing Day encounter in Centurion, whereas the ODI squad is likely to be announced in the next couple of days. The series will be maiden outing for Rohit Sharma as full time ODI skipper. It will be an interesting to see how former skipper Kohli plays under him after all the uproar doing rounds on social media regarding captaincy change.