Team India Specials
India v South Africa in Tests: Super 100s
Sportz Interactive
 |  |
Share | -
|
© AFP
India-South Africa Test cricket has evolved into a captivating rivalry since the Durban Test of 1992. Let us run through five of the greatest knocks played over the years.
Herschelle Gibbs – 196
2nd Test, Port Elizabeth, Nov 16-20, 2001
Warm sunshine on the first afternoon and a strong wind next morning turned the St.George’s Park pitch into a batsman's paradise. India put in South Africa to bat and soon after the start of play, the home team lost their first wicket in the form of Gary Kirsten. Wickets kept tumbling at the other end but Gibbs stayed and whacked the Indian bowlers all around the park.
His innings of 196 came off 354 balls and included 25 boundaries and a six. Gibbs’ 4th wicket partnership of 105 with Boeta Dippenaar and another 80-run stand with Mark Boucher for the 7th wicket helped the Proteas get to a score of 362 before their side subsided. However, bad light brought down the curtain on the cricket on more than one occasion and the match ended in a draw.
 © Getty Images Sachin and Azhar were congratulated by South African president Nelson Mandela for playing those memorable knocks |
Sachin Tendulkar – 169
2nd Test, Cape Town, Jan 2-6, 1997
Electing to bat first, South Africa piled on a mammoth total of 529 runs for the loss of seven wickets. Replying to South Africa's highest total since isolation, India were 58 for five when Tendulkar and Azharuddin came together. Tendulkar was organized, but attacked in a grand manner. In a six-over spell after lunch, Klusener was hit for 30 and South Africa were forced on to the defensive. His innings included 26 fours and came off 254 deliveries.
The duo put on 222 runs for the sixth wicket till Azharuddin fell and India was still fifty runs short of saving the follow on. Sachin saw India through but the remaining batsmen could not do as much and the Indian batting line-up failed even in the second innings. The hosts went on to win the match by 282 runs.
 © Getty Images Azhar smashed Klusener for four consecutive boundaries, Kanpur Test |
3rd Test, Kanpur, Dec 8-12, 1996
India managed only 237 in the first innings, but South Africa struggled even more, allowing India, inspired by a breathtaking century from Azharuddin, to take complete control. The flamboyant ex-captain belted the bowlers and shared a 165-run partnership with Rahul Dravid for the sixth wicket.
Azharuddin's strong wrists and ability to play from the pitch gave the bowlers no margin for error. He reached his 16th Test century in 162 balls with 17 fours and then added another 63 off just 66 balls, with eight fours and a six. India won by 280 runs and subsequently the series 2-1.
 © AFP |
1st Test: India v South Africa at Kanpur, Nov 20-24, 2004
Virender Sehwag careered past 1,000 runs for the year with an innings of astounding skill and nerve after South Africa had put on 510 runs on the board early on. If South Africa's innings had been a systematic crawl, India's burst into life with a fusillade of strokes. Sehwag carved the bowlers apart, as is his wont, but the fact that Gambhir, playing only his second Test, matched him shot for shot unnerved even the usually metronomic Pollock. The Delhi-dasher unleashed a flurry of strokes on the off-side and the bowlers had no reply. However, on a pitch where eternity might have been too short to produce a result the match crept into a dull draw.
Lance Klusener – 108
1st Test: South Africa v India at Bloemfontein, Nov 3-6, 2001
 © AFP |
Klusener's bat was more edge than middle to start with but, once his eye was in, it became a lethal bludgeon. He made 108 off 124 balls, with 18 fours and a six, to set up a formidable lead of 184. Klusener played with élan and dispatched the ball on both the sides of the wicket. His innings consisted of 18 boundaries and a six and came at a superb strike rate of 87.09 Later on, chasing 54 for victory South Africa settled the argument by tea and went up in the series 1-0.
- Priya Ganoo
