Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) President Sourav Ganguly announced that a special commemorative coin featuring Mahatma Gandhi on one side and Nelson Mandela on the other has been issued to mark the historic India–South Africa series.
Ganguly added that on the eve of the match, CAB will also host the Dalmia Memorial Lecture, with legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar as the keynote speaker.
The much-anticipated bilateral series between India and South Africa includes two Test matches, three ODIs, and five T20 Internationals, beginning this Friday at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Following a disappointing ODI series in Australia, the Indian team is buoyed by their recent T20 series win and the emphatic home victory against the West Indies last month.
According to the schedule released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the Gandhi–Mandela Trophy will open with the first Test on November 14 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, followed by the second Test on November 22 at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati.
The ODI series will commence on November 30, with matches in Ranchi, Raipur (December 3), and Visakhapatnam (December 6).
Ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup, the five-match T20I series is seen as a crucial preparation phase. The matches will be played in Cuttack (December 9), Chandigarh (December 11), Dharamshala (December 14), Lucknow (December 17), and Ahmedabad (December 19).
