Team India will visit South Africa for a four-match T20I series this November, and following the confirmation of the tour on Friday, Namibia’s captain, Gerhard Erasmus, had a special message for the BCCI. Erasmus has invited Team India to play a couple of T20Is in Namibia.
India’s tour of South Africa begins November 8 and concludes on the 15th of the month. The matches will take place in Gqeberha, Centurion, and Johannesburg. Cricket South Africa, in coordination with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), officially announced the series schedule on X (formerly Twitter).
Namibia has participated in three T20 World Cups, including the current edition. They made an impressive debut by reaching the Super 12s in 2021 but have not progressed past the group stages in the subsequent tournaments. Hosting a high-profile team like India could provide significant exposure and development opportunities for Namibian cricket, a sentiment echoed by many fans who support Erasmus’ proposal.
“Hey @BCCI, warm-up in Windhoek?” Erasmus wrote as he quoted Cricket South Africa’s post announcing India’s visit. In another post, Erasmus told a fan he would like to play in a two-match series against India.
India’s schedule
Following their T20 World Cup campaign, India will embark on a five-match T20I series tour to Zimbabwe. For this tour, the BCCI is expected to field a youthful squad, allowing senior players such as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah to rest.
The series will also be India’s first after Rahul Dravid’s departure as the side’s head coach. Recent reports have indicated that VVS Laxman, the current head of NCA in Bengaluru, is likely to travel with the side as coach for Zimbabwe. Gautam Gambhir is currently the leading name to succeed Dravid as India’s new head coach.
India’s home season in the 2024/25 calendar begins with a Test series against Bangladesh in September. The two sides play in two Tests before a three-match T20I series.
