Why have India never won in South Africa?
What is it that holds India back from winning in the rainbow nation?
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If you are an Indian fan, you may need a comforter ready before I start. India have played 8 Test series in South Africa and lost 7. They will not win this one either. Making it 0-9. They have won 4 Tests, but it took them four tours to register their first Test win. Their best result was a 1-1 draw by an MS Dhoni-led side in 2010/11.
India have been the number one side in the world, a major team for a while now, and has had plenty of stars. But when they go to South Africa, it ends up with them shouting at stumps and little else.
What is it that holds India back from winning in the rainbow nation?
1992/93 (South Africa win 1-0)
This was an important series, as India were the first country to tour South Africa after the apartheid ban.
At Durban for the first Test, Kapil Dev, in the twilight of his career, was still the leader of the pack with 3 wickets.
India were struggling at 38/4 in the second innings, but a hundred partnership for the 8th wicket between debutant Pravin Amre and wicket-keeper Kiran More meant that India had managed to recover. Amre scored a terrific hundred, while More scored a very crucial 55. They also managed to take a 23-run lead. But sadly, the fourth day was lost to rain and South Africa drew.
Prabhakar and Srinath’s opening burst in Johannesburg had South Africa at 26/4. It took a magnificent effort from Jonty Rhodes (91) and Brian McMillian (98), to guide South Africa to a competitive first-innings total of 292 with Prabhakar taking 4/90.
Sachin Tendulkar played a masterful knock of 111 with Kapil Dev second top scoring with 25. His innings had given India hope, but they were still 65 runs behind.
Anil Kumble bowled 44 overs, gave away just 53 and got 6 wickets. This has to be up there among the best efforts by an Indian spinner on South African soil. His googlies and top-spin deliveries out of the rough proved to be a challenge for the hosts. South Africa were cruising at 108/1 with Andrew Hudson and David Richardson in the middle. This spell changed everything. But India had to score 303 runs on Day 5. They never even tried, and played for the draw.
Allan Donald took five wickets on a batting surface in Gqeberha after South Africa sent them in. None of the Indian batters bar Azharuddin, who scored his only half-century on the tour, could cross 25. They could only muster 212.
Interestingly, India fielded 2 spinners in this game as Venkatapathy Raju was included in the playing XI. He and Kumble bowled marathon spells and took 3 wickets each and went at 1.5 runs an over. Cronje and Hudson went slow, The latter made a 182-ball 52, while Cronje scored a ton after batting for over 8 and a half hours. His innings would ensure a 63-run lead.
India lost 6 wickets for 31 runs, and an innings defeat looked likely. But Kapil Dev did his thing and made one of his most memorable hundreds. But even then, South Africa only had to chase 155 runs, which they did with seven minutes to spare.
South Africa scored 360 runs after batting for nearly 2 days in Cape Town.
India batted even slower at 1.81 runs per over. Prabhakar and Manjrekar added 85 runs in 58 overs. Although Tendulkar came in to bat after a good platform by the top order, he scored 73 with wickets falling around him. Kapil Dev also chipped in as they made 276.
Incredibly the game got slower, South Africa made 130/6 in 97 overs - 71 runs in 59 overs before tea on Day 5. Srinath bowled brilliantly for his 4-wicket haul, while Kumble went at less than a run per over in his 23 overs. South Africa declared the innings 20 minutes after tea, but the game had a draw written all over it from the get-go.
Rain stopped them in the first Test, they never tried to chase in the second, and South Africa outplayed them after.
1996/97 (South Africa win 2-0)
This series is really quite brutal, I will skip it. But weirdly, it started well when Venkatesh Prasad took a fifer in Durban when India sent South Africa in. Allan Donald followed up with another as the ball bounced and danced around laterally. South Africa set 395, and when Donald took Rathore and Ganguly in the first over it was almost over. India made it to 66, with Rahul Dravid playing his best 27 not out.
South Africa smashed India at Cape Town, hundreds from Kirsten, McMillan and Klusener took them to a mammoth 529/7. India were 58/5 and on the verge of yet another massive defeat.
However, a superb partnership between Tendulkar and Azharuddin meant India did not go down without a fight with the bat. The two added 220 runs in just 40 overs in what was an outstanding display of counter-attacking strokeplay. They avoided the follow-on, as Tendulkar played one of his best Test knocks on South African soil.
India reduced South Africa to 33/3 in the 3rd innings. But they were so far behind it didn’t matter. It took South Africa only 67 out of the 118 overs to dismiss the Indian team, who batted terribly in pursuit of the target.
The series was already over and embarrassing for India. But this is the game India should have won. Dravid made 148 in the first innings, and scored again in the second, meaning South Africa needed to make 356 to win. They had South Africa 95/7 when Cullinan and Klusener got together. Eventually, big Lance was out, and with a little rain, Allan Donald got the draw. He took 20 wickets at 16 in three Tests and saved a match with the bat.
2001/02 (South Africa won 1-0)
India were expected to do well in the series with the right blend of experience and youth in their seam attack, two quality spinners and a top-notch batting lineup under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly who took over India’s captaincy after a major match-fixing scandal. This series was played around the match-fixing scandal that affected Cronje and Azharuddin.
South Africa won the toss and opted to field first in Bloemfontein. India were in a spot of bother, but they ended up with a respectable 379 on a nice wicket for seamers at Bloemfontein. Sehwag’s 105 was the big bang, while Sachin brought up his 7000th run.
That total was thin when South Africa chased 563 at nearly four runs an over.
India were 108/1 with Das and Laxman in the middle, but ended up with only 237 as Pollock took six. South Africa chased 54 easily.
India sent South Africa in at Gqeberha, they did okay against most, but Herschelle Gibbs scored 196 out of 362. Only Laxman really batted well as Pollock had his way again, but India were heaps behind already. South Africa set 395 for the chase, India batted for almost 100 overs to get the draw three wickets down after batting 96.2 overs.
India already could not win this series, but a draw was possible. But match referee Mike Denness sanctioned Sehwag and Harbhajan for excessive appealing, alleged Tendulkar for ball-tampering, and Ganguly for failing to control his players as the captain.
India played those guys in the next match, and the ICC made it an unofficial game. India lost the game by an innings and 73 runs.
2006 (South Africa won 2-1)
This was a great series, and by that, I mean it involved an awful lot of Sreesanth and Andre Nel doing funny things.
India started 2006/07 by batting first when the conditions were helping the bowlers. That is not what they did in those earlier seasons. In fact, even now they have never won a match when sending South Africa in at home. They ended with 249, but it felt like a statement. It was a lot more fun when Sreesanth went crazy with the swinging ball and South Africa collapsed to 84.
India scored 236 thanks to Laxman’s 62 after coming in at 41/3. With a 400 run lead, Sreesanth took early wickets and when Zaheer also ran out de Villiers they were never going to chase this total India won the opening match by 123 runs.
Durban started well with South Africa falling to 28/3, but they made it to 328 thanks to Ashwell Prince. Laxwen made a 277-minute 50, but South Africa coughed up a sizeable lead, and despite Sreensath taking early wickets again, the chase was 354 in 146 overs. Ntini took five as no Indian crossed 50, it was a massive loss in the end.
Now there was the deciding Test. This was India’s biggest chance. Wasim Jaffer and Dinesh Kartik started strong, so India made 411. At the least, that should have been enough to force a draw especially when India dismissed South Africa at the close of day three and had a 41 run lead.
The problem here was South Africa had a new quick, Dale Steyn, he took four wickets as India kind of spluttered after Pollock and Paul Harris slowed them down. Dravid and Tendulkar scored only 24 runs in the next 15.1 overs. India were dismissed for just 169 after being 90/2 at one point.
South Africa had to chase 211, they passed it five wickets down on the last day. India lost the series the day before really.
2010/11 (Draw 1-1)
Morne Morkel was all over them in the first Test of 10/11. It got worse when South Africa scored 620/4, giving them a 484 run lead at the midpoint. India did well to only lose by an innings and 23 runs.
At Durban, India were sent in and made 205. South Africa won the toss and elected to bowl first again. South Africa were 67/2 but when Kallis was run out, they collapsed. And I think I need to mention the Sreesanth leg-cutter to de Villiers.
But India collapsed again, only Laxman stood up, going after short balls and playing partnerships with Dhoni and Zaheer. India made 228 again, South Africa needed 303.
In the chase, Harbhajan and Sreesanth combined for wickets to never let South Africa feel comfortable. Probably the second most famous thing those two are known for. Pujara finished it off with a run-out.
Again India came into the last match with a big chance of winning the series. But this time they sent South Africa in Cape Town. Sreesanth took five, but Kallis made 161 out of 362. India actually got a two run lead because of a Tendulkar 146.
Then Kallis made another ton even as Harbhajan Singh took a seven-wicket haul. They also batted a lot of time, meaning India needed 340 in just under a day. India played for the draw. A very pragmatic MS Dhoni draw. Teams would go for this score now, and some would have back then, but Dhoni gave away a small chance at their first victory on a draw. Which was the first time they hadn’t lost.
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