India tour of South Africa likely to be pushed back by a week amid fears over Omicron: Report

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has requested Cricket South Africa (CSA) to consider pushing back the beginning of the upcoming tour by a week. The move has been undertaken due to the threat posed by the new COVID variant Omicron which was recently discovered in the nation. India are scheduled to take on South Africa in 3 Tests, as many ODIs and 4 T20Is. The encounters will take place between December 17 and January 26. The Indian team was expected to leave for South Africa on December 8 or 9, after the conclusion of the upcoming second Test against New Zealand.

However, a report by India Today suggests that the team is likely to depart only on December 15 or 16. A call is expected to be taken by Sunday, with both the BCCI and players inclined towards touring South Africa.

“South Africa will take all precautions necessary to ensure the health and safety of the Indian teams. A full Bio-secure environment will be established around both the South African and Indian ‘A’ Teams as well as the two National Teams,” the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), which is South Africa’s foreign ministry, said in a statement on Tuesday.

India to host New Zealand, West Indies, Sri Lanka, South Africa in 2021/22 season

The Indian team will be hosting the West Indies, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and South Africa in four Tests, three ODIs, 14 T20Is later this year and in the first half of 2022. This information is according to the home season announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the 2021/22 season. The Test matches will be played against New Zealand. India had recently recorded a defeat against the Black Caps in the final of the maiden edition of the World Test Championship (WTC), providing the Asian giants with an opportunity to get their revenge.

The home series against New Zealand will start with a three-match T20I series. It will be played from November 17 to 21 in Jaipur, Ranchi and Kolkata. The same will be followed by the opening Test which will begin on November 25 in Kanpur. The second game in the longest format will be played from December 3 in Mumbai. The West Indies will tour India for three ODIs and T20Is apiece, with the 50-over encounters set to be played from February 6 to 12 in Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Kolkata.

Neighbours Sri Lanka will take on India in a two-Test series, scheduled to start on February 25. The first Test will be played in Bengaluru while the second will be hosted in Mohali from March 5. Mohali will further host the first T20I against Sri Lanka on March 13. The second and third matches will be played in Dharamshala and Lucknow on March 15 and 18 respectively.

South Africa will take on India in a five-match T20I series that will be held from June 9 to 19. The matches will be played in Chennai, Bengaluru, Nagpur, Rajkot and New Delhi respectively.