Cricket South Africa confirmed on Wednesday that they will be celebrating 30 years of cricketing ties with India during the second Test match at the Wanderers stadium in Johannesburg next year and have made special arrangements for the same.

South Africa was banished from world cricket for 21 years from 1970 till 1991 due to the apartheid when black players in the country were racially discriminated.

The suspension was eventually lifted (1991) and Mohammad Azharuddin’s India became the first team to play against Clive Rice’s Proteas on November 10 (1991) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Keppler Wessels-led South Africa then played their first Test match on home soil since their readmission against Azhar’s team in Durban in November 1992. That match ended in a draw with Sachin Tendulkar scoring a hundred and Anil Kumble taking 8 wickets.

CSA has to mark the completion of 30 years of India’s special tour by celebrating and recognising some of the most iconic moments and individuals from both teams over the years.

“Part of the 30-year anniversary of the cricketing ties between India and South Africa includes the celebration and recognition of the most iconic moments and individuals in the 30-year history of the stadium,” CSA said in a statement.

India will be eyeing their first-ever Test series win in the rainbow nation when they clash against South Africa in the first of three Tests at the SuperSport Park in Centurion from December 26.

The series-finale will take place at the Newlands stadium in Cape Town from January 11 after which they will play 3 ODIs from January 19 in Paarl and Cape Town. All the matches will be played behind closed doors, without fans due to the threat of Covid-19 and the Omicron variant outbreak in the country.