Team India is scheduled for a tour to South Africa which will either commence late this year or in early 2018. But the two governing bodies, the BCCI and CSA are yet to release the schedule for the tour as the visitors are demanding for the time to prepare themselves to the conditions before the tour kicks off.

Indian team management has asked for 12 days to accustom themselves for the upcoming challenges. On the other hand, the CSA isn’t looking to allow them that much time and wants to get done with the tour in 50 days. The Men in Blue will locks horns with the Proteas in 4 Tests, 3 ODIs, and 3 T20Is.

Soon after the India series, South Africa will host the Aussies from March 1 and in order to do that they are looking to wrap the India tour as soon as possible.

One of the sources of TOI said, “India finish their series with Sri Lanka on December 24 and can reach SA only by December 27. They are not ready to play the first Test before Jan 10.”

CSA always looks to host the Boxing Day Test which starts on December 26 or the New Year’s Test on the first day of the year. However, Team India can reach South Africa earliest by December 27, after wrapping up the home series against Sri Lanka on December 24. But they are pretty certain that they won’t enter a Test match without being prepared as they want to make the most of this tour.

The source further added, “But the Indian team has also made it clear that they are not going to start a Test match within five days of their arrival. They are going to SA to be competitive. It is up to them to come up with the probable permutations and combinations and let us know how they are going to deal with the situation.”

Meanwhile, if India doesn’t agree to lock horns with South Africa for either of the Tests, CSA is also thinking of inviting Pakistan or new Test member Afghanistan for a one-off Test starting on the Boxing Day.