Amid Covid scare, India tour of SA to begin on Dec 26

NT Correspondent

BCCI on Saturday confirmed that the India tour of South Africa will begin from December 26. Originally the tour was slated to begin on December 17. India and South Africa will play a three-match Test series followed by a three-match OneDay International series. The four T20Is, which were also part of the joint MoU, will be rescheduled for next year. The development comes after the outbreak of Covid-19 variant Omicron in South Africa.

The BCCI in a statement said that the tour will “proceed with the revised dates and itinerary”.

The South African cricket board added that the allocation of match venues will be in respect of Bubble Safe Environment (BSEs) and the venues will be announced in the next 48 hours.

“This tour will take place under the strictest Covid-19 guidelines. CSA’s main focus is to safeguard the cricket biosphere by managing strict entry standards and limited movement outside of its cordon.” CSA said.

South Africa has praised India for its “solidarity” in not cancelling the tour.