Former coach and opening batsman of South Africa’s cricket team Gary Kirsten is part of a marketing campaign set to see mobile social network Mxit officially launch in India this week.

South African based mobile social network Mxit is setting its sights on Indian growth with a planned official launch in that country. Mxit has also set up an office in India.

Mxit officials and the instant messaging service’s public relations team has not given ITWeb Africa exact details about the launch as an official announcement is expected on Wednesday.

But information about the Indian operation launch is making its way onto social media.

Chairman of Mxit’s board of directors Michael Jordaan took to Twitter to announce the news.

"Looking forward to 1) be in India again 2) launching Mxit India and 3) having a cappuccino again with @Gary_Kirsten," reads Jordaan's tweet from a day ago.

Also, Gary Kirsten -- @Gary_Kirsten on Twitter -- has taken to the social network to tweet," Good news – heading back to India today for the official launch of #MxitIndia. Bringing the homegrown Mxit to my other home away from home!"

Kirsten also tweeted an image of a Mxit launch campaign advert on a taxi that greeted the cricketing star in India (see above image).

Kirsten is not only popular in India for being South Africa’s former opening batsman, but he also coached the Indian side to win the 2011 cricket world cup.

Meanwhile, Mxit chief product officer Vincent Maher said at a briefing at AfricaCom 2013 in Cape Town that his company is looking to India and Nigeria as Mxit's next growth areas.

"Nigeria and India are likely to be our biggest growth areas," ITWeb Africa quoted Maher as saying at the time.

According to data released by research firms World Wide Worx and Fuseware Mxit has 7.4 million monthly active users across Africa, of which 6.5 million are in South Africa.