IND vs SA, 1st Test: India's Boxing Day Test record

In an attempt to tilt the scales against the Proteas in its home turf, India will have to break its modest record in Boxing Day contests.

South Africa has dominated India with four wins in Boxing Day Tests, while suffering a lone defeat at Durban in 2010 - one of only three home defeats against India.

Virat Kohli’s team India will resume its bid to win a Test series in South Africa as the three-Test series gets underway on Boxing Day at the SuperSport Park in Centurion. 

Boxing Day, which refers to the unboxing of gifts for the poor a day after Christmas (December 26), has also evolved as an annual holiday in Commonwealth Nations.

Among other popular events on this day, the Boxing Day Test has become a long-standing tradition in Australia. It has hosted visiting international teams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) since 1950. The sporting affair has also extended to other Southern Hemisphere cricketing nations such as South Africa and New Zealand during its transition to summer.

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India and Boxing Day Tests

In an attempt to tilt the scales against the Proteas in its home turf, India will have to break its modest record in Boxing Day contests. While it has won its last two Boxing Day Tests in landmark clashes against Australia, India has suffered defeats in 11 matches since its first Test in 1985.

The Proteas, too, have dominated India with four wins while suffering a lone defeat at Durban in 2010 - one of only three home defeats against India. 

Here’s how India has fared in the 15 Boxing Day contests so far: 

Australia vs India, Dec 26-30, 1985 - Match drawn, Melbourne  Australia vs India, Dec 26-29, 1991 - Australia won by 8 wickets, Melbourne  South Africa vs India, Dec 26-29, 1992 - South Africa won by 9 wickets, Port Elizabeth South Africa vs India, Dec 26-28, 1996 - South Africa won by 328 runs, Durban New Zealand vs India, Dec 26-30, 1998 - New Zealand won by 4 wickets, Wellington Australia vs India, Dec 26-30, 1999 - Australia won by 180 runs, Melbourne Australia vs India, Dec 26-30, 2003 - Australia won by 9 wickets, Melbourne South Africa vs India, Dec 26-30, 2006 - South Africa won by 174 runs, Durban  Australia vs India, Dec 26-29, 2007 - Australia won by 337 runs, Melbourne South Africa vs India, Dec 26-29, 2010 - India won by 87 runs, Durban Australia vs India, Dec 26-29, 2011 - Australia won by 122 runs, Melbourne South Africa vs India, Dec 26-30, 2013 - South Africa won by 10 wickets, Durban Australia vs India, Dec 26-30, 2014 - Match drawn, Melbourne Australia vs India, Dec 26-30, 2018 - India won by 137 runs, Melbourne Australia vs India, Dec 26-29, 2020 - India won by 8 wickets, Melbourne