The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is in talks with Cricket South Africa (CSA) to schedule a six-ODI series on South Africa soil in order to prepare for the ODI World Cup 2027.
As per a report by the Indian Express, the Indian team management requested BCCI to arrange an ODI series against South Africa which will serve as ideal preparation for the mega event which will be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
The Future Tour Programme (FTP) of Indian team after the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2027 is yet to be drawn up which may make the scheduling of the ODI series hassle-free.
The last time India played an ODI series on South Africa soil was in December 2023.
Number of ODIs from September 2026 to January 2027
India's ODI World Cup 2027 preparations will begin later this month with a three-ODI series against West Indies. However, several ODI players will be missing from the squad as they will be playing in the Asian Games 2026 in Japan.
Then, India will tour New Zealand for an all-format series and play five ODI matches there. In December, India will host Sri Lanka for three ODIs. In January 2023, India will host Zimbabwe for a three-ODI series.
It will be followed by Border-Gavaskar Trophy on Indian soil. Right after the IPL 2027, India don't have an ODI series scheduled yet. There will be months of cricketing action without an ODI series.
Window to prepare for ODI World Cup 2027 after IPL 2027
The ODI World Cup 2027 is scheduled to begin on October 4. If the IPL 2027 ends mid-may, Indian team will have four months to prepare for the marquee event until and unless they manage to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 final which will begin on June 13 in London. Still, India will have more than three months to play ODI series leading up to ODI World Cup 2027.