The Indian team could potentially play a series of one-day matches in South Africa ahead of the 2027 One Day International World Cup. Negotiations are currently underway between the BCCI and CSA regarding a series of four or six games.
The team management has requested the opportunity to play in African climatic conditions. Since the new ICC calendar is not yet approved, there is a high probability that this series will be organized immediately before the start of the World Cup.
This visit is considered extremely important for preparation for the upcoming tournament. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Cricket South Africa (CSA) are discussing the series, which the team itself has requested.
The 2027 World Cup is scheduled for October-November in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Therefore, the leadership of the Indian squad wishes to provide the team with a sufficient number of matches in African conditions before the start of the global tournament.
According to current discussions, the option of holding a series of four or six one-day matches between India and South Africa is being considered. The exact number of games or schedule has not been determined yet.
According to the Indian Express, following a request from the Indian team's management, the BCCI contacted the CSA. The goal of this contact is to ensure players have maximum time on the field in African conditions and to prepare the team for local characteristics. Thus, this will not just be a routine bilateral series, but part of the preparation for the World Cup.
During the World Cup, the teams will face South African conditions. Playing in these conditions will allow Indian athletes to study aspects such as pitch type, ball bounce, weather, and playing against fast bowlers.
The series conducted immediately before the World Cup is particularly important because it will give players the opportunity to quickly adapt to the conditions. This is why the team management put forward the need to play in Africa before the BCCI.
According to available data, the new ICC calendar is not yet ready, which removes major obstacles to planning this series shortly before the World Cup.
The current ICC calendar for the period 2023–2027 does not include such a one-day series between India and South Africa before the World Cup. According to the current plan, bilateral events for India run until approximately March 2027, after which the World Cup takes place in October-November 2027. This long gap allows for finding a slot for a series against South Africa.
Since the new ICC calendar has not been approved, the BCCI and CSA have the opportunity to make changes to the schedule. Within India's internal schedule for 2026–2027, three one-day matches against West Indies, five matches against New Zealand, and three one-day matches against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe are planned. Additionally, T20I matches against Afghanistan, West Indies, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka are scheduled. After this, India is set to play a test series in New Zealand and a five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy series at home against Australia. Due to this tight schedule, the BCCI is concerned about player workload and physical fitness.
Previously, in December 2023, India played a one-day series in South Africa, winning it 2-1. In the first match in Johannesburg, India defeated South Africa by a score of 116:8. In the second match, South Africa managed to win by 8 wickets. The third match in Parle ended with an Indian victory by 78 runs, allowing them to win the series. In this series, Sanju Samson scored a hundred in the decisive third match, and Arshdeep Singh demonstrated brilliant bowling, taking 10 wickets. Sai Sudarshan also impressed in that series, scoring 127 runs across three matches. After this, India visited South Africa in November 2024 for T20I matches, but the current ICC calendar does not include a one-day series against the host country of the World Cup.
As of now, the final dates or the number of matches in the one-day series against South Africa have not been set. However, if negotiations between the BCCI and CSA are successful, this series on African soil could become a significant stimulus for the team's preparation before the start of the World Cup.