India will host South Africa’s women’s cricket team for a multi-format series consisting of a Test match, three ODIs, and as many T20Is, as announced by the BCCI on Tuesday. The series will mark the first time in almost a decade that the two teams will play a Test match. The one-dayers will be played at Bengaluru, while the one-off Test and T20Is will be held at Chennai, as earlier reported by PTI on May 3.
The series will begin with a one-day warm-up match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 13, where the visitors will take on the Board President’s XI. The ODIs are part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2022–2025 and will start at 1.30 PM, while the T20Is are scheduled to begin from 7 PM.
The white-ball format matches were originally part of the ICC Future Tours Programme (FTP) in late 2023, but they had to be pushed ahead due to the 50-over Men’s ODI World Cup held in India last year. However, the Test match is an addition to the fixture and is part of an initiative by the BCCI and Cricket South Africa (CSA) to give more impetus to women’s cricket in the traditional format.
It may be recalled that India had played a Test each against England and Australia at Mumbai in December last year, winning them by 347 runs and eight wickets respectively.
The full schedule for the India vs South Africa women’s cricket series is as follows:
June 13: SA vs BP’s XI, Bengaluru (warm-up)
June 16: 1st ODI, Bengaluru
June 19: 2nd ODI, Bengaluru
June 23: 3rd ODI, Bengaluru
June 28-July 1: One-off Test, Chennai
July 5: 1st T20I, Chennai
July 7: 2nd T20I, Chennai
July 9: 3rd T20I, Chennai
India and South Africa last played a Test match back in November 2014. The upcoming series will be a significant step in the development of women’s cricket in both countries, and fans can expect some exciting and competitive matches.
