IND vs SA: Most Test Losses By Indian Captains In South Africa

India’s dream to win a Test series in South Africa still remains an unfinished business. A loss in the third Test match in Cape Town meant that India lost the three-match Test series 2-1. After a brilliant win at Centurion, India lost back to back Test matches in Johannesburg and Cape Town to lose the series. Both teams now take on each other in a three-match ODI series between January 19-23.

The match had a few controversial moments that made it one of the most eventful white-ball games in recent times. Dean Elgar’s controversial DRS call was one of the many talking points from the Test match and the series overall.

Meanwhile, in this article, we will take a look at the Indian captains with the most Test losses in South Africa. The list includes a few elite names.

Indian Captains With Most Test Losses In South Africa

Virat Kohli – 3

The current Indian skipper is topping the list with three losses. Two of them came in this series. Though he found some form with the bat, he found no luck at winning Test matches in South Africa. The win in the first Test came under him. However, the loss in Cape Town came as a big blow to the team. This Virat Kohli-led side was expected to win the series against the hosts who certainly had a batting line-up with very little experience.

However, it was their bowlers who made up for the inexperience in the batting order. The same was acknowledged by skipper Dean Elgar as well in his post-match pressers.

Also Read: IND vs SA: Twitter Reacts As South Africa Secure Series With A 7-Wicket Victory In Cape Town

MS Dhoni- 2

Under MS Dhoni‘s captaincy, India lost two Test matches in South Africa. The first defeat came in Centurion in 2010 and the second defeat came in Durban in 2013. Dhoni’s contribution with the bat in these two matches was also very minimal. As it turned out, Dhoni finally stepped down as India’s Test captain after playing 90 Test matches and leading the team in 60 of them.

Rahul Dravid-2

The current Indian head coach also had a stint captaining India in South Africa in 2006-07. India made a brilliant start to the three-match series by winning the first Test in Johannesburg. S Sreesanth ran through the Protean batting line-up twice and finished with 8 wickets in the game.

However, India lost the advantage heading into the next two Test matches and lost them by big margins. They lost the second match in 174 runs while South Africa registered a comfortable victory in the third Test by five wickets.

Sachin Tendulkar-2

Tendulkar did not have a glorious stint as India captain, however, during that period he played a few breathtaking innings. One of them was the Cape Town Test in 1996 when he scored a 169 and added a 222 run partnership with Mohammed Azharuddin. They both came together with a team score of 58/5 to showcase a batting masterclass. India lost the first two Tests of the series and managed to draw the final Test in Johannesburg.

Also Read: Virat Kohli Needs To Be Suspended By ICC – Michael Vaughan