South Africa announce landmark India tour

(Reuters) - South Africa will play four test matches in India for the first time as part of their longest ever tour to the sub-continent later this year, the country's cricket board announced on Monday. The Proteas will also play five One-Day Internationals and three Twenty20 matches between Oct. 2 and Dec. 7 in what has been described as a landmark tour by Cricket South Africa (CSA). "This will be the longest tour that we have undertaken to India and the first time we will play a four-Test series," CSA CEO Haroon Lorgat said in a statement. "Both countries are now working to develop this into an icon series. Another first is that we will be playing our first Twenty20 International match against India in India." If fit, leading South African batsman AB de Villiers will play his 100th test in Bangalore, a city he represents in the Indian Premier League Twenty20 competition. South Africa have drawn their previous two test series in India, the last in 2010, but did claim a 2-0 series win in 2000, their only success in five visits since readmission to international cricket in 1992. (Reporting by Nick Said; nick.said@thomsonreuters.com; editing by Amlan Chakraborty)