IND vs SA: 3 Indian Players Who Made a Remarkable Debut In South Africa

India and South Africa are all set to square up against each other in a three-match Test series, starting from 26^th December 2021. The first Test will be played at SuperSport Park in Centurion. Virat Kohli will lead the Indian team for the second time in a Test series in South Africa.

The last time when Virat Kohli and Co. went to South Africa for a Test series in 2018, they fought hard in all facets of the game. However, their effort went in vain as they lost the series by a 2-1 margin. Overall, India have visited South Africa for a Test series on 7 occasions.

Notably, India have never won a Test series in South Africa. They would be keen to create history this time around. Over the years, several Indian players made their Test debut in the tough conditions of South Africa.

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Making your debut in a county like South Africa isn’t easy. Yet, there have been players who showed their class and made headlines with outstanding performances in their debut series. On that note, let’s take a look at the three of those players who made a remarkable debut in South Africa.

IND vs SA: 3 Indian Players Who Made a Remarkable Debut In South Africa

Jasprit Bumrah

Before making his ODI debut for India in 2016, Jasprit Bumrah had to wait for 2 years to get into the Test team. Notably, his very first Test assignment came in overseas conditions in South Africa. Jasprit Bumrah made his Test debut on India’s tour of South Africa 2017-18. He shut all the critics who doubted his ability to perform in Test cricket.

Bumrah a remarkable debut in debut in South Africa. He bowled in great areas and made great use of the seaming conditions on offer. Burmah finished the series as the second-highest wicket-taker for the team. In 3 matches, he picked 14 wickets at an average of 25.21.

His best performance came in the third match of the series. He picked a five-for in the second innings to bundle South Africa out for just 194 runs after India had scored 187 runs in the first innings. Bumrah picked two wickets in South Africa’s second innings and finished with seven wickets in that match. India went on to win that match by 63 runs. For those of you who don’t know, that was India’s only third win in Test Cricket in South Africa.

Virender Sehwag

Not a lot of people know that veteran India batsman, Virender Sehwag made his Test debut in South Africa in 2002. He didn’t get the opportunity to open the innings on his Test debut and batted at number six, instead. Despite batting at an unusual number, he fared exceedingly well on the tour.

Virender Sehwag made his Test debut on India’s tour of South Africa in 2002. In his first very innings in Test Cricket, he scored an outstanding century, amassing 105 off 173 balls. He impressed one and all with his aggressive mindset even in Test cricket. Sehwag scored freely and made sure he sent all the bad balls to the boundary line. His knock helped India post 379 runs in the first innings. However, despite that, India lost that game by 9 wickets.

Sehwag featured in both the games played on the tour and went on to score 149 runs in 2 Tests at an average of close to 50.

Pravin Amre

Former cricketer, Pravin Amre is fondly remembered for his remarkable arrival in Test cricket. Amre made his Test debut in South Africa, which is one of the toughest conditions to bat. In the first Test of the 1992 tour, Amre walked into bat after India lost their first 4 wickets for just 38 runs.

Much to the delight of the fans, a young Pravin Amre batted exceptionally well against the likes of Allan Donald and Brett Schultz. He led the recovery with M Azharuddin and took India back into the contest.

The latter got run-out after scoring 38, but Amre went on to play a scintillating knock of 103 off 299 balls. His knock helped the Men in Blue eventually draw that Test. In 4 Tests on the tour, Amre scored 169 runs in 4 matches at an average of 33.80.