IND vs SA: 3 Best Test Wins Of Team India In South Africa

The Indian Cricket has never won a Test series in South Africa. The two teams played the very first Test against each other in 1991 and have played 39 Tests since. While India have won 14 matches, South Africa emerged victorious on 15 occasions. The last time India visited South Africa, they fought hard but still lost the series by a 2-1 margin.

Ahead of a three-match Test series between South Africa and India, the latter would look to give their best in a quest to win a Test series in South Africa. The tour will begin with the Boxing Day Test at the Centurion Cricket Ground, before moving to Johannesburg and Cape Town for the second and third Test respectively.

India have toured South Africa 7 times for the Test series. India might have lost the series on all occasions but registered some special wins in between. India has won a total of 3 Tests in South Africa since their first tour in 1992. Here’s a look at those three wins.

IND vs SA: 3 Best Test Wins Of Team India In South Africa

India’s tour of South Africa 2006-07, First Test

India’s 123-run win against South Africa at Johannesburg is regarded as one of the memorable wins in the history of Indian Cricket. In the very first Test of the 2006-07 tour, India ended a 14-year wait to win their first Test in South Africa.

India batted first in that match and didn’t get off to an ideal start. Both Sehwag and Jaffer got out cheaply. However, the middle-order batted well and made vital contributions to take India to 249 runs in the first innings.

Sourav Ganguly was the top-run score, having compiled an unbeaten half-century. Much to the surprise of everyone, South Africa were bowled out for just 84 runs in the second innings. S Sreesanth ran through South India’s batting unit as he picked 5 wickets for 40 runs in 10 overs. Zaheer and Anil Kumble picked 2 wickets each.

VVS Laxman then played a crucial 73 off 154 balls to guide India to 236 runs in India’s second innings and thereby set a huge target of 402 runs. It proved a lot as South Africa got out for 278 runs in the final innings and thereby lost the game by 123 runs. This was India’s first-ever Test win in South Africa.

India’s tour of South Africa 2010-11, 2nd Test

India’s second win in South Africa came during the 2010-11 tour under the leadership of MS Dhoni. India batted first but couldn’t post a very big total. The batsmen were guilty of not converting the starts into big scores. VVS Laxman top-scored with 38 off 73 balls as India posted 205 in the first innings.

The Indian bowlers bowled even better and bundled South Africa out for just 131 runs in the second innings. Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth ran through South Africa’s top-order before Harbhajan Singh removed the tail.  VVS Laxman, once again, was brilliant with the bat in India’s second innings.

He played a stellar knock of 96 off 171 balls to guide India to 228 and thereby set a target of 302 runs to chase down. South Africa, in pursuit of the target, got bundled out for 215 and lost the game by 87 runs. S Sreesanth picked three out of the top four South African wickets before Zaheer Khan ran through the tail.

India’s tour of South Africa 2017-18, Third Test

Virat Kohli-led India went to South Africa with a good bunch of fast bowlers in 2017-18. The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, and Ishan Sharma bowled exceedingly well. India fought hard in all three tests on the tour. However, they couldn’t win the series. India lost the first two Tests before winning the third and final Test of the series. It was also the third win overall for India in South Africa.

India got bundled out for just 187 runs in the first innings, despite vital half-centuries from Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli. On the fast and seaming surfaces of South Africa, it wasn’t easy for proteas to bat as well.

Jasprit Bumrah made their life difficult as he picked 5 for 54. South Africa, as a result, were bowled out for 194 runs in the second innings. Virat Kohli (41 off 79) and Ajinkya Rahane (48 off 68) vital contributions took India to 247 in their second innings to set South Africa a target of 241 runs.

It was Mohammed Shami’s turn to pick a five-for. Shami took only 1 wicket out of the top 6 but picked 4 out of the last five batsmen. Bumrah and Ishant picked two wickets each to help South Africa bundled out for 177 in the final innings. India won the first and final Test of the series by 63 runs.