New Delhi:India's next tour of South Africa will begin on December 10 with a three-match T20 series, which will be followed by three ODIs and two Tests, the BCCI and CSA announced on Friday. While the opening match will held at Durban, the second and third T20 Internationals will take place on December 12 and 14 in Gqeberha and Johannesburg respectively.
Johannesburg will also play host to the opening ODI of the three-match series on December 17, followed by matches on December 19 and 21 in Gqeberha and Paarl respectively. The Test matches, called the Freedom Series for Gandhi-Mandela Trophy, will be played in Centurion and Cape Town from December 26-30 and January 3-7 respectively.
"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," BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a statement issued by both the boards. He added, "The Boxing Day Test and the New Year Test are amongst the most important fixtures on the international cricket calendar and the schedule has been planned particularly around these marquee dates."