India's tour of South Africa in jeopardy after COVID-19 grips rainbow nation

India's tour of South Africa could be in deep trouble after the emergence of the new variant of COVID-19 in the country. South Africa are witnessing a steady rise in the number of COVID-19 cases and the government is planning to impose stringent restrictions. Also, Johannesburg and Pretoria - two venues of the Test series are highly vulnerable to the spread of the virus.

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As per the reports, it is predicted that the new virus could be far more deadly than the previous variants and can cause more severe symptoms. It can also be more resistant to vaccines and far more communicable. Due to the fears of another wave of Covid-19, United Rugby Championship (URC) has also been cancelled in the country.

Meanwhile, the Netherlands are currently in South Africa for a three-match ODI series. While the first match got underway today, November 26 at Centurion, officials of the Netherlands Cricket Board and Cricket South Africa (CSA) are set to meet later in the day to discuss the fate of the series.

As per BCCI, India's tour is still on but a final decision will be taken after analyzing the situation. India are set to depart for South Africa in the second week of December. Ironically, India's tour of South Africa was one of the first tours to be cancelled because of the pandemic. The team is set to play three Tests, as many ODIs and four T20Is on the tour.