India and South Africa play a three-match One-Day International (ODI) series with the first game between the two sides in picturesque Dharamshala on March 12, 2020. The next two matches of the series between the Virat Kohli-led Men in Blue and Quinton de Kock's team are in Lucknow on March 15 followed by Kolkata on March 18.
While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a 15-member team for the series on March 8, 2020; South Africa, too, have come with 15 players. All three matches are day-nighter.
The first match at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala is South Africa's first ODI although they have played two T20 Internationals at the venue winning the first one by defeating India by 7 wickets on October 2, 2015. The second T20I between South Africa and India on September 15, 2019, was rained out without a ball being bowled.
Dharamshala here we come. #ProteaFire pic.twitter.com/Zorjorp3jP
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) March 10, 2020
India have been bolstered by the return of opener Shikhar Dhawan and allrounder Hardik Pandya who missed the New Zealand ODI series which the Men in Blue lost 0-3.
Coronavirus fears will see the South Africa players not shaking hands before and after matches. South Africa team director and former wicketkeeper-batsman Mark Boucher asserted that the players will follow the advice given by the medical staff.
"With regards to handshakes and stuff like that‚ it is a concern and we will do the same if it comes to that. I think it is just a way of trying to stop anything from happening to our guys and it is out of respect for the players around you not to pass something that you might have," he was quoted as saying by thesouthafrican.com, an English-language online news portal of South Africa.
India ODI squad: Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Virat Kohli (captain), KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Shubman Gill
South Africa ODI squad: Quinton de Kock (captain, wicketkeeper), Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Faf du Plessis, Kyle Verreynne, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Jon-Jon Smuts, Andile Phehlukwayo, Lungi Ngidi, Lutho Sipamla, Beuran Hendricks, Anrich Nortje, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj
