Published: Nov 27, 2021, 11:01 AM (IST)
Edited: Nov 27, 2021, 11:01 AM (IST)
Mumbai: The tour is less than a month away when the Indian team tour South Africa, but there are already concerns over the series because of Covid’s newest variant, Omicron. This would come as a massive setback for the side and the fans who would have loved to see some overseas cricketing action.
Omicron was reported in South Africa and now it has spread to neighbouring countries like Botswana. Individuals who are fully vaccinated people have also been infected. In South Africa, over 100 cases have been linked to this variant, with four more in Botswana.
It is scheduled to be a long tour comprising of three Test matches, three ODIs and four T20Is as part of the bilateral series in South Africa. The first Test is slated to be played at Johannesburg from December 17. The first Test would be followed by the famous Boxing Day Test in Centurion and the final Test in Cape Town from January 3.
The first ODI will be played in Paarl on January, followed by two more ODIs in Cape Town (January 14 and 16.
Cape Town will also host the opening two T20Is (on January 19 and 21). The series will then conclude in Paarl with the final two T20Is on January 23 and 26.
A senior BCCI official has told PTI that they will have a closer look at the situation and as of now India are set to leave for the tour on December 8 or 9. “Look, till we get a detailed picture of the ground situation from Cricket South Africa (CSA), we will not be able to tell our next step. As per the current plan, the Indian team is supposed to leave either on December 8 or 9 just after the New Zealand series gets over in Mumbai,” a senior BCCI official told PTI on Friday.
