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India vs South Africa bilateral series to be called ‘The Mahatma Gandhi-Nelson Mandela Series’

The tour kicks off on Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, October 2.

South Africa will hope to carry on their momentum from an ODI series win when they tour India later © Getty Images
South Africa will hope to carry on their momentum from an ODI series win when they tour India later © Getty Images

As India gear up for the series against South Africa, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Cricket South Africa (CSA) have agreed that all their future bilateral series will be called “The Mahatma Gandhi-Nelson Mandela Series”. Coincidentally, the tour kicks off on October 2, which happens to be Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday. Nelson Mandela, first ever black President of South Africa, spent over 25 years in prison to protest against apartheid in South Africa and is today an icon of the country. Mandela passed away in December 2013, after a long battle with cancer. India play South Africa in three T20 Internationals (T20I), five One-Day Internationals (ODI) and four Tests. READ: BCCI, Cricket South Africa planning ‘Gandhi-Mandela’ series

The itinerary for the tour was announced on July 2015 along with the venues. The limited overs games will be followed by Tests at Mohali (November 5-9), Bangalore (November 14-18), Nagpur (November 25-29) and the concluding match of the tour at Delhi from December 3 to 7). The fixtures were today jointly announced by BCCI and Cricket South Africa (CSA). In all, the tour will last for 72 days. READ: India vs South Africa 2015: 4 Test, 5 ODIs, 3 T20Is schedule announced

“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 icon series. Another first is that we will be playing our first T20 International match against India in India. South Africa’s talismanic captain AB de Villiers is scheduled to play his 100th Test at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. READ: BCCI, Cricket South Africa planning ‘Gandhi-Mandela’ series

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