India continues its quest for first Test series win in historic South Africa

India has been touring regularly to the Rainbow Nation after that historical tour of 1992-93. The first Test series was won by the host 1-0. The opening Test was drawn at Durban, in which Pravin Amre made a hundred on debut.

FILE PHOTO: India’s first Test win in South Africa came during the 2006-07 tour where it beat the host by 123 runs at Johannesburg. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

South Africa has produced some of cricket’s finest cricketers and a team that brimmed with extraordinary talent. But that side, led by Ali Bacher and containing gifted cricketers like Barry Richards, Graem Pollock and Mike Procter, didn’t get the opportunities it deserved, as South Africa was banned by the ICC for the country’s apartheid policy.

The Test that side played in 1970, against Australia at Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), would be South Africa’s last for more than two decades. And it was only in 1992 that the Proteas could play in another Test at home. The opponent was India, which had earlier played host to South Africa’s return to international cricket with an ODI at Kolkata.

India has been touring regularly to the Rainbow Nation after that historical tour of 1992-93. The first Test series was won by the host 1-0. The opening Test was drawn at Durban, in which Pravin Amre made a hundred on debut.

After the second Test at Johannesburg also produced a draw, South Africa won the third Test at Gqeberha, with speedster Alan Donald, nicknamed White Lightning, destroying India with a 12-wicket haul. The fourth Test at Cape Town was drawn.

The South Africans then went on to dominate India in Tests at home. In 1996-97, they won the three-match Test series 2-0, with Donald once again proving the tormentor, claiming 20 wickets in the series.

Five years later, they won the series 1-0. The series would always be remembered for the Mike Denness incident; the match referee and former England captain had found six Indian players – Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly, Deep Dasgupta, Harbhajan Singh and Shiv Sunder Das – guilty for offences like not informing the umpire before cleaning the ball and excessive appealing. Not surprisingly, the second Test at Port Elizabeth created a storm.

India’s future tours of South Africa were all much calmer affairs. In 2006-07, India scored its first ever Test win in South Africa, thanks to some sensational spells of seam bowling from S. Sreesanth (five for 40 and three for 59). The visiting side won by 123 runs in Johannesburg.

India has since won another three Tests in South Africa, in 2010-11, 2017-18 and 2021-22. Now, India’s aim will be not just to win one more Test, but the series, something it could not so far.