The Newlands New Year’s Test will make its much-anticipated return to Cape Town next year after a four-year absence.
The New Year’s Test is the plum fixture on Cricket SA’s Test calendar and it has not been held at the foot of Table Mountain since England visited the Mother City in 2020 prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.
India played a Test at Newlands 2022, but that was without any spectators as the Covid-19 restrictions were still in place.
India will now return to South Africa for a full tour that includes three T20I’s and three ODI before concluding with The Freedom Series, which honours two global icons in Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi, gets underway with the Boxing Day Test at SuperSport Park from 26 – 30 December and New Year’s Test at Newlands from 3 – 7 January.
The hugely-popular “Pink ODI” will also be held on December 17 at the Wanderers.
The Proteas Men’s team have a proud record to defend as India have yet to win a Test series in South Africa since the first tour post unification back in 1992.
“Cricket South Africa eagerly awaits the arrival of the Indian Cricket Team and their passionate fans on our shores. This is an important tour for both teams and I am really pleased that we will have a full tour comprising all three formats of the game. Both South Africa and India boast exceptional talent, and we can look forward to exciting cricket and thrilling matches,” said CSA Chairperson Lawson Naidoo.
“The tour also allows us to showcase the best of South Africa and we have spread out matches across the nation. We share an excellent rapport with the BCCI and I thank them for their support throughout the process of putting the tour in place.”
The India tour is immensely important to Cricket SA as it remains the most commercially viable tour as it generates revenue that maintains the organisation’s financial stability for the next few years.
“The Freedom Series is significant not just because it features two excellent Test teams, but also because it honours Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, two great leaders who shaped our respective nations, and the world around them,” said Honorary Secretary of the BCCI Jay Shah added.
“The Boxing Day Test and the New Year’s Test are amongst the most important fixtures on the international cricket calendar and the schedule has been planned particularly around these marquee dates. India has always received strong support in South Africa, and I am confident that fans will be treated to some enthralling contests with no shortage of intensity.”
Full India tour schedule to South Africa
T20I Series
Sunday, 10 December
South Africa vs India - Kingsmead Stadium, Durban
Tuesday, 12 December
South Africa vs India - St George’s Park, Gqeberha
Thursday, 14 December
South Africa vs India - Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Betway ODI Series
Sunday, 17 December - Pink Day
South Africa vs India - Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Tuesday, 19 December
South Africa vs India - St George’s Park, Gqeberha
Thursday, 21 December
South Africa vs India - Boland Park, Paarl
Test Series
26 December – 30 December
South Africa vs India - SuperSport Park, Centurion
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