Team India received a warm welcome upon their arrival in Durban for the upcoming multi-format series against South Africa, starting with the first T20I on Sunday. As the Men in Blue landed in the Rainbow Nation, they were cheered by fans at the airport and also posed for photos with their supporters.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted a video on X (formerly Twitter), in which players were seen arriving at a South African airport and being warmly greeted by hotel staff.
The all-format tour of South Africa will kickstart on Sunday with a three-match T20I series, which will run until December 14. From December 17, the ODI leg of the white-ball series will begin, concluding on December 21.
Players such as Suryakumar Yadav, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, head coach Rahul Dravid, and Mohammed Siraj were among those seen in the video. Seniors like skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah will miss the white-ball leg of the all-format series. Suryakumar Yadav, the number one T20I batter, will lead the T20I team, while KL Rahul will captain the ODI team. Youngsters like Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Sai Sudarshan, and Rajat Patidar have received call-ups for the ODI squad.
Senior players will return for the two-match Test series, with the first Test in Centurion from December 26 onwards and the second Test in Cape Town from January 3 next year. The red-ball leg of the series will be the most anticipated one for Indian fans, as India is yet to register a Test series win in South Africa.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced their squads against India for the multi-format series at home, beginning this Sunday. Fast bowler Nandre Burger and batters David Bedingham and Tristan Stubbs received their maiden call-ups to South Africa’s Test squad for the India series, while wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne has been recalled.