SA vs IND: Team India to stay in picturesque Irene Country Lodge during South Africa tour

Team India aim to script history as they gear up to take on South Africa in three Tests and as many ODIs, starting from December 26 at the SuperSport Park in Centurion. The rainbow nation is the only country where India haven’t recorded a Test series win. Hence, Virat Kohli’s men would be raring to emerge victorious this time around.

Notably, dark clouds were looming over the series amid the emergence of the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron. The safety concerns postponed the tour by nine days and even scrapped the four-match T20I series. Cricket South Africa (CSA) also seems determined to keep the players and conduct the matches without any hassle. Owing to the same, cricket board of both nations, CSA and BCCI, came to a decision that the games won’t be available for public viewing. Hence, tickets won’t be available for sale.

Team India to stay in a luxurious property

In order to ensure that the preparations are fool-proof, CSA has booked a luxurious Irene Country Lodge in Centurion for the Indian players, their families, and the management. As per a report in Timeslive.co.za, the lodge was put on lockdown in anticipation since the tourists will be staying there. Notably, Kohli and his men would be staying in this property for the first two Tests, taking place in Centurion and Johannesburg respectively.

MD of the Lodge, Anwar Karrim, stated the hotel held two successful bio-bubbles on behalf of Cricket South Africa. “We have done this before and we are looking forward to hosting India. It’s a real privilege. As far as the bio-bubble is concerned, the hotel is on lockdown to the public as we speak,” said Karrim.

“You must remember that in two previous bio-bubbles we hosted we were at the height of Covid-19. I recall that when Sri Lanka were here last year, we were in a stricter lockdown. But there is no distinction between the previous bio-bubbles and this one,” he added. From swimming pool to library and a playing area, the massive property has everything to keep the players occupied during the fixtures.

Meanwhile, let’s look at some pictures of the lodge: