Indian team to leave for South Africa in batches

New Delhi:

India's cricketers will depart from normal routine and arrive in South Africa in batches in order to acclimatise ahead of their much-anticipated Test series.

India are due to play the first Test in Centurion from December 16, just six days after the final one-day international against New Zealand ends in Chennai on December 10.

With no practice match pencilled in, India's South African coach Gary Kirsten hit upon a novel idea to ensure his players get used to the conditions before the series began.

A majority of the 17-man squad, who were rested for the New Zealand one-dayers, will reach South Africa this week to prepare for the three-match series that pits top-ranked India against the number two hosts.

"We have a lot of work still to do on the specifics of technique prior to the series," Kirsten was quoted as saying by Cricinfo. "The players will need time to adjust and get comfortable with the conditions."

The players will train at Kirsten's cricket academy in Cape Town before moving to Johannesburg to join the rest of the squad.

India, fielding an under-strength team for the New Zealand one-dayers, enjoy an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series with stand-in captain Gautam Gambhir hitting two centuries.

The three Tests in Centurion (December 16-20), Durban (Dec 26-30) and Cape Town (January 2-6) will be followed by a Twenty20 match and five one-day internationals.

The Indians will return from South Africa on January 24, less than a month before their first World Cup match against Bangladesh in Dhaka on February 19.