India and South Africa Test cricket has produced some riveting action over the years. Let us recapitulate.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
India v South Africa - A trip down memory lane
| Test Matches Played | 19 |
| Won by South Africa | 9 |
| Won by India | 4 |
| Drawn | 6 |
The two teams who have been touted as the best bets to dethrone Australia from the helm of world cricket will clash at Chennai on March 26 as India prepare to host South Africa for a three-Test series. Fans will hope that the riveting rivalry that reached its optimum in 2006 will be taken to even newer heights. Sreesanth is a part of the Indian squad but sadly for the Kerala fast bowler, Andre Nel is not going to be around! Priya Ganoo takes us on trip down memory lane and analyses the petite history of India-South Africa cricket.
History
 © Getty Images Mohammad Azharrudin (left and Kepler Wessels (right) at the toss, Kingsmead, Durban, November 13 1992 |
Practically 22 years after being secluded from the international fold due to apartheid, South Africa came to India in 1991-92 for a three-match one-day series. Thousands of fans lined the streets of Calcutta to welcome the team and Eden Gardens - which hosted the first match - apparently surpassing its capacity. India prevailed in a low-scoring game, but significantly for South Africa, it was their discovery of a world-class fast bowler in Allan Donald who took 5 for 29. India won the one-day series 2-1.
In the 1992-93 season India had the opportunity of being the foremost international side to play a Test in South Africa since 1970. The tour will be remembered for the beginning of ICC's scheme for independent umpires and even more for the South African board's experimentation using television replays to settle tricky line decisions. It was a successful innovation, hailed by most players and officials after some initial reservations. Sachin Tendulkar became the first batsman to be given out by the third umpire. However, India disappointed with their performances – losing the Test series 1-0 and the ODIs 5-2.
In 1996-97 a tough South African side led by Hansie Cronje arrived in India for their first full Test tour. The Indians had not lost a home series since 1986-87, and had won ten out of 14 Tests at home since 1992-93, the most recent being an resounding win over Australia in a one-off match at Delhi. South Africa, meanwhile, had not lost any series, or a one-off, since their opening Test on rejoining the cricketing world, at Bridgetown in April 1992. They had played enough one-day cricket on the subcontinent not to worry excessively about the conditions. But they soon discovered that playing Tests in India was a different ball game altogether: they lost the series 2-1, cramming a thumping win in Calcutta amidst defeats in Ahmedabad and Kanpur.
 © Getty Images Tendulkar was the sole survivor during the 2001 tour but could not avoid the series defeat |
The 2001-02 tour was another one tarnished by controversy. The 'Mike Denness affair' took centre stage in the second Test when he found Sachin Tendulkar guilty of ball-tampering and handed one-Test bans to five other Indian players. However, the Indian board protested and after much insistence agreed to play in the third Test match. South Africa won the series 1-0. Although the third and final Test was declared unofficial.
South Africa's third Test tour of India in 2004-05 was on the verge of being a failure, as South Africa threatened to pull out if they failed to get any word that Herschelle Gibbs and Nicky Boje will not be prosecuted by the Indian police in the match-fixing scandal. However, both players pulled out and the tour went ahead as scheduled. After a tame draw in the first Test, India managed a win in the second mainly due to the bowling of Harbahjan Singh and Anil Kumble who shared between them all the wickets of the second innings of the second Test. India won the series 1-0.
The 2005-06 ODI series in India was a draw with both the sides winning two matches a piece.
When India visited the Proteas in 2006-07 thankfully the series was shy of the controversies of India's previous tours of South Africa. The visitors were thrashed 4-0 in the one-dayers but came back to win the first Test match riding on Sreesanth’s heroics with the ball at the Wanderers. However, the home team bounced right back at Kingmead and kept the momentum going even in the third Test at Newlands and clinched the series 2-1 after being one down.
Last Five Encounters
3rd Test at Newlands, Cape Town - Jan 2-6, 2007
South Africa won by 5 wickets
India 414 and 169; South Africa 373 and 211/5
After batting first and getting 414 runs on the board in the first innings, few would have imagined the visiting Indians would go on to lose the test match and consequently the series. Wasim Jaffer’s brilliant century in the first innings went in vain as the South Africans put on a solid defense and reached 373 before subsiding. In the second innings Rahul Dravid’s contingent had no reply to the onslaught of Dale Steyn and Co. with the earlier taking four wickets to demolish the Indian batting line-up which was all out for 169 runs. South Africa was left to achieve a modest target of 211 runs for victory. After a couple of early wickets, the South African ship was steadied by some handy contributions from the middle-order. They went on to win with five wickets in hand. Graeme Smith was adjudged man-of-the-match for his knocks of 94 and 55.
 © Getty Images Sreesanth was the star of the Indian bowling departmenet during the 2006 tour |
2nd Test at Kingsmead, Durban - Dec 26-30, 2006
South Africa won by 174 runs
South Africa 328 and 265/8d; India 240 and 179
South Africa had a poor start to the second match of the series when their three top-order batsmen were back in the dressing room within the first hour of play. Herschell Gibbs scored a defiant 63 before edging one to Dhoni off Sreesanth. Ashwell Prince got his fifth century and put on a partnership of 100 runs with Boucher for the 5th wicket. All these towered the Proteas to a competitive total of 328 before being bowled out. The Indians never looked set for a chase and lost their openers early-on.
The South African bowling attack made all the difference. Nel and Ntini were both disciplined and penetrative, while Pollock was parsimony personified, but it was Morne Morkel, the 22-year-old Titans fast bowler, who really caught the eye, with an incisive third spell which brought him three quick wickets. South Africa declared the innings at 265/8 thus setting India a target of 354 in 146 overs. This time the visitors were helpless against Ntini’s first spell which had the Indians reduced to 6-85. They could never really consolidate and were bowled out for 179 handing a win to the home-team.
1st Test at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg - Dec 15-18, 2006
India won by 123 runs
India 249 and 236; South Africa 84 and 278
In a dazzling turnaround, India achieved their first Test win in South Africa, and what some observers thought was their best-ever away win. Their hero was Sreesanth, the wild and wacky seamer from Kerala playing only his sixth Test, who started South Africa's collapse for 84 in their first innings with his maiden five wicket haul. Early on, the Indians had put on 249 runs on the board in the first innings. Sreesanth’s act with the ball paved the course of victory for them. India then went on to make 236 runs in the second innings thus setting a tough target of 401 for the home-team. Sreesanth again cleared the top-order and India registered victory.
 © AFP Kumble and Bhajji made the South Africans hop around during the Kolkata Test of 2004 |
India won by 8 wickets
South Africa 305 and 222; India 411 and 120/2
Harbhajan Singh revisited the scene of his greatest triumph to inspire India to an ultimately comfortable victory, but they were made to toil by a South African side that owed much to the obduracy of Kallis and the tireless efforts of their quicker bowlers. The Proteas were bowled out for a competitive score of 305 runs.
India followed with a reply of 411 all out. Smith and Co. then fell to the onslaught of spin duo Harbhanjan and Anil Kumble who shared between them all the wickets in the second innings. The visitors fell a good hundred runs short of a par score and managed to get 222 runs. India cruised to get to the paltry target of 120 for the loss of just two wickets. Harbhajan Singh was named man of the match.
1st Test at Green Park, Kanpur - Nov 20-24, 2004
Match drawn
South Africa 510/9d and 169/4; India 466
With South Africa declaring at 510/9 in the first innings, the first match meandered to a predictable draw, on a pitch where eternity might have been too short to produce a result. Virender Sehwag careered past 1,000 runs with a century and India was finally bowled out for 466 with contributions from Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid and Ganguly. It never looked as though the match would produce a result and South Africa closed proceedings with 169/4 on the last day.
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