South Africa to play four Tests in India later this year

[Marius]

BCCI announces venues for SA series

Amol Karhadkar

The change in leadership in the BCCI sees the return of international cricket to Nagpur and Gwalior or Indore. The two host associations - Vidarbha Cricket Association and Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association - are controlled by Shashank Manohar and Jyotiraditya Scindia, respectively, who fell out with N Srinivasan, and consequently lost out on big matches for at least the last three years.

The BCCI announced on Sunday that Ahmedabad, Delhi, Nagpur and Bangalore will host the Tests against South Africa in October and November this year. The board also confirmed the venues for the ODI and T20 games on the tour, and three T20s against Sri Lanka in February 2016, before the World T20 which will be played in India.

Chennai, Kanpur, Indore/Gwalior, Rajkot and Mumbai will host the five ODIs against South Africa, while the three T20 internationals of the tour will be played in Kolkata, Mohali and Dharamsala.

Sri Lanka will travel to India for three T20 internationals - to be played in Visakhapatnam, Pune and Delhi - which will be played in February next year prior to the Asia Cup and the World Twenty20. The venues were finalised by the BCCI's tour, programme and fixtures committee that met in Kolkata on Sunday.

Even though the BCCI follows a rotation policy while allotting international games matches, both the VCA and MPCA suffered due to their fallouts with the previous leadership. The VCA, headquartered in Nagpur, didn't host a Test during N Srinivasan's controversial three-year regime as BCCI chief. Though Manohar and Srinivasan were allies earlier, they had turned into bitter rivals, with Manohar publicly criticising Srinivasan's handling of the 2013 IPL corruption scandal.

Similarly, the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association, controlled by another Srinivasan detractor Jyotiraditya Scindia, has been allotted an ODI after almost four years. During Sanjay Jagdale's stint as a BCCI office-bearer, MPCA hosted two ODIs in as many years, with Gwalior hosting an ODI against South Africa in February 2010, and West Indies playing in Indore in December 2011.

With India scheduled to travel to Sri Lanka for three Tests in August, South Africa's tour will be the only major bilateral series for India at home in the 2015-16 season. Following Sri Lanka's visit, India are scheduled to play in the Asia Cup and the World Twenty20.

Amol Karhadkar is a correspondent at ESPNcricinfo

BCCI announces venues for SA series | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo

Well, this is excellent news, should be a cracking series too.

And this Test series is followed by a four-Test series against England for South Africa. Probably the first time post-isolation that South Africa is playing two four-Test back to back.

 

[Pratters]

Would have loved to get a test instead of the T20. This probably means we will get a winter test..

 

[Howe_zat]

Good news. 4 Tests is more than we normally get out of SA.

How long does this make it between Test series in India? Seems a long time now

 

[Antihippy]

Sounds like it'll be a great series. India is always a force at home but South Africa has been good in the SC lately.

 

[longranger]

I have a feeling this is the series for Rohit Sharma that will make him a Test regular. I'm predicting 3 centuries by him on some rather helpful pitches.

 

[Marius]

I have a feeling this is the series for Rohit Sharma that will make him a Test regular. I'm predicting 3 centuries by him on some rather helpful pitches.

If the Indians prepare flat pitches it could well backfire. Ab de Villiers is in good form at the moment, and Amla likes playing in India I think.

 

[longranger]

If the Indians prepare flat pitches it could well backfire. Ab de Villiers is in good form at the moment, and Amla likes playing in India I think.

More likely than preparing pitches that will aid and assist Steyn and Philander in running through the Indian batting.

Very few teams out-bat India at home. It should be a great series.

 

[G.I.Joe]

Excellent news. South Africa are always great opposition in India.

The only sticking point is the re-entry of Nagpur into the rotation. Hurray for a stadium filled by one man and his dog. Such a ****ty Test centre.

 

[OverratedSanity]

I say it's this tour that will finally lead to SA winning a series here for the first time since 99/2000. The pacers are better than ever, AB has reached a ridiculous level in his game, and I rate Piedt. They'e always been the one side to consistently threaten a series win here and came mighty close to doing it on the last two tours.

Ahmedabad and Nagpur are the two venues where SA destroyed us on those tours too. Probably not going to be the same pitches but still.

 

[Marius]

I say it's this tour that will finally lead to SA winning a series here for the first time since 99/2000. The pacers are better than ever, AB has reached a ridiculous level in his game, and I rate Piedt. They'e always been the one side to consistently threaten a series win here and came mighty close to doing it on the last two tours.

Ahmedabad and Nagpur are the two venues where SA destroyed us on those tours too. Probably not going to be the same pitches but still.

Piedt is struggling with a shoulder injury, not sure he'll go on the tour.

Our spinners will probably be Harmer, and maybe Robin Peterson.

The legspinner, Eddie Leie from the Lions, could also get a look-in.

 

[cnerd123]

If the Indians prepare flat pitches it could well backfire. Ab de Villiers is in good form at the moment, and Amla likes playing in India I think.

This is a false argument that people keep making about India.

A green pitch will make the Indian quicks look good. The gap between their bowling and SA's bowling will shrink, and the gap between India's batting and SA's batting will be the same - Indian batsmen play swing well but not bounce.

On the flipside, a flat track will put the SA batsmen and Indian batsmen on par, and will highlight the huuugggggeee gap between India's bowling and SA's.

India always perform better on pitches which provide support for their bowlers, especially their quicks. They have shown this several times. If India make flat pitches then they are more likely to lose. A greentop will suit them just fine.

 

[Cabinet96]

So gun. South Africa haven't played a four test series since 2009/10. South Africa v India in India should be a good close series as well.

 

[Daemon]

This is a false argument that people keep making about India.

A green pitch will make the Indian quicks look good. The gap between their bowling and SA's bowling will shrink, and the gap between India's batting and SA's batting will be the same - Indian batsmen play swing well but not bounce.

On the flipside, a flat track will put the SA batsmen and Indian batsmen on par, and will highlight the huuugggggeee gap between India's bowling and SA's.

India always perform better on pitches which provide support for their bowlers, especially their quicks. They have shown this several times. If India make flat pitches then they are more likely to lose. A greentop will suit them just fine.

That's just not true

 

[G.I.Joe]

This is a false argument that people keep making about India.

A green pitch will make the Indian quicks look good. The gap between their bowling and SA's bowling will shrink, and the gap between India's batting and SA's batting will be the same - Indian batsmen play swing well but not bounce.

On the flipside, a flat track will put the SA batsmen and Indian batsmen on par, and will highlight the huuugggggeee gap between India's bowling and SA's.

India always perform better on pitches which provide support for their bowlers, especially their quicks. They have shown this several times. If India make flat pitches then they are more likely to lose. A greentop will suit them just fine.

yeah, this argument needs to be stickied at the top of every India tour thread.

 

[harsh.ag]

Such good news. Would be a cracker. Time for Pujara to show up, and Saha to try and cement his spot.

 

[Pratters]

This is a false argument that people keep making about India.

A green pitch will make the Indian quicks look good. The gap between their bowling and SA's bowling will shrink, and the gap between India's batting and SA's batting will be the same - Indian batsmen play swing well but not bounce.

On the flipside, a flat track will put the SA batsmen and Indian batsmen on par, and will highlight the huuugggggeee gap between India's bowling and SA's.

India always perform better on pitches which provide support for their bowlers, especially their quicks. They have shown this several times. If India make flat pitches then they are more likely to lose. A greentop will suit them just fine.

Nah, I don't agree with this. Indian bowlers will be able to get more wickets on a faster pace assisting track but so will South African pacers. Indian batsmen are tough to get out on spinning tracks. It is easier to get them out for the South African pacers on more helpful wickets. Case in point - there was a test back in the day in India where they prepared a fast track v England and Botham ran through the Indian side for instance.

 

[harsh.ag]

Nah, I don't agree with this. Indian bowlers will be able to get more wickets on a faster pace assisting track but so will South African pacers. Indian batsmen are tough to get out on spinning tracks. It is easier to get them out for the South African pacers on more helpful wickets. Case in point - there was a test back in the day in India where they prepared a fast track v England and Botham ran through the Indian side for instance.

I know this has been historically true, but does this really hold anymore? This middle order is quite a bit more vulnerable to decent spin bowling, and Tahir is quite decent at the moment.

 

[Pratters]

I know this has been historically true, but does this really hold anymore? This middle order is quite a bit more vulnerable to decent spin bowling, and Tahir is quite decent at the moment.

Even if we are not the strongest against spin, we are still way better against spin than against Steyn on a helpful track.

 

[harsh.ag]

Neither is Steyn the Steyn of old #SomeoneHadToSayIt

 

[Pratters]

nor are Indian batsmen the Indian batsmen of the 90s #someonehadtosayit.