Team India Squad For Tour Of South Africa: Captains, Likely Teams, Date Of Announcement And What To Expect

Rohit Sharma and Temba Bavuma. (Image: ANI)

Team India’s first match on the tour of South Africa starts on December 10. The tour kickstarts with India taking on South Africa in three-match T20I series on December 10. The first game is not even two weeks away and the squad is yet to be announced for the month-long tour by Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

As per reports, BCCI secretary Jay Shah and Agarkar-led selection committee are likely to meet in Delhi to discuss the team and the roadmap for India in the T20s with World Cup scheduled to take place in Americans in June next year.

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The squad could be announced any time this week or at the start of the next week. 

Who will captain India in T20Is?

This is the big question and topic of discussion at the meeting. India’s T20I captain Hardik Pandya is out with a ligament tear. Suryakumar Yadav is leading the side in the T20Is vs Australia at home. As per a PTI report, BCCI wants Rohit back as T20 captain. But what happens when Hardik returns is an interesting question. As of now, Surya and Rohit are two names that will be discussed as far as the captaincy in T20Is vs SA is concerned.

Captains in ODIs, Tests?

It is possible that Rohit returns as the full-time captain in ODIs and Tests. While Virat Kohli has reportedly pulled out from the white-ball leg of the South Africa tour, Rohit has not done the same yet. He led India pretty well in the ODIs this year and BCCI are likely to retain him as skipper. There are no talks of replacing Rohit as captain as of now.

Shreyas, Rahul to return for Tests

They are fit again and expect Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul to be back in the Test playing 11. It is also a possibility that Rahul is asked to keep wickets in the Tests too. Iyer should be back and this would mean Ajinkya Rahane loses his place in the Test side. Let’s see what happens when the squad is announced.

Rahul Dravid to continue as head coach

BCCI has confirmed that Rahul Dravid’s contract has been extended. However, the details of the extension was not mentioned in the press release. With Dravid staying as coach, he would not want many chopping and changings in the current set up. He is also returning with the same support staff with Vikram Rathour as batting coach, Paras Mhambrey as bowling coach and T Dlip a fielding coach. 

India’s tour of South Africa: Important Dates

The tour starts with T20I leg. First game is on December 10 in Durban. Second on December 12 in Gqeberha and third in Johannesburg. The ODIs start on December 17 with first game in Jo’burg, second in Gqeberha and third in Paarl. The Tests will be played from December 26 to 30 in Centurion and from January 3 to 7 in Cape Town.

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