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Johannesburg – Faf du Plessis will captain South Africa in their three Test matches in India in October, but Proteas fans can expect to see a new leader in the shorter formats.
There has been uncertainty hovering over South African cricket's leadership since Sunday when it was confirmed that head coach Ottis Gibson and his entire coaching team had been let go.
Sunday's Cricket South Africa (CSA) release made no mention of Du Plessis, saying that the captain/s for the Indian tour would be confirmed by whoever fills the team director position.
At a press briefing in Johannesburg on Monday, however, acting director of cricket Corrie van Zyl provided some clarity.
Van Zyl himself will head up a stand-in selection committee that will meet in the coming days, while he says he is in advanced negotiations in securing an interim team director for the Indian tour.
Du Plessis, Van Zyl confirmed, will captain the Proteas in the Test format while who leads the way in white ball cricket will be shaped by what the plans are for the next four years and with the 2023 World Cup in India in mind.
"It's important to look forward to 2023 as well," said Van Zyl.
"We need a strategy to 2023, so in terms of appointing the captain we will look at how we approach that.
"We are having a selection meeting in the next day and a half to confirm that.
"Faf will be the captain of the Test team and then we will talk about the white ball strategy to 2023 and how that will affect decision making."
The Proteas play the first of three T20Is on September 15 in Dharamsala, where the new skipper could be seen for the first time, while their Test series gets underway on October 2 in Visakhapatnam.
Temba Bavuma, meanwhile, will captain the South Africa 'A' side in India in 50-over matches over August and September.
