India is yet to win a Test series in South Africa.
India managed to draw a Test series just once in 2010-11 when MS Dhoni’s side toured, while their first Test win in South Africa came in the 2006-07 series under the captaincy of Rahul Dravid.
The last time India toured South Africa was in 2017-18 and lost the three-Test series 2-1 despite showing great grit and determination under captain Virat Kohli.
Indian team has had a great record since then outside the Asian subcontinent, having won two back-to-back Test series in Australia, and leading 2-1 in England with one Test to go.
As Virat Kohli’s side gears up for a fresh challenge in the rainbow nation and searches for its maiden Test series win in South Africa, TEAM COC takes a look back at the Indian team’s three victories in Test cricket in the rainbow nation.
1. 2006- India wins by 123 runs, Johannesburg
The Indian team had been traveling to South Africa without much success, but all that changed in the first Test of the 2006-07 Test series under Rahul Dravid’s captaincy. India won their first Test match against Proteas thanks to its pacers as they made the Proteas batters hop and weave and duck.
Rahul Dravid won the toss and despite the history saying bat second, with damp spots on the pitch, he chose to bat first, having played three pacers in Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth, and VRV Singh in the XI.
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The Sreesanth swung the ball miles to run through South Africa batting with figures of 5/40, as the Proteas crumbled to 84 all out. Zaheer Khan and Anil Kumble took 2 wickets each and VRV Singh scalped one. India got a lead of 165 runs.
In the second do, VVS Laxman top-scored with 73 runs. With help from Sehwag’s 33, Ganguly's 25, and Zaheer's 37, India put up 236 on the board to give South Africa a target of 402 runs.
Zaheer, Sreesanth, and Kumble took 3 wickets each, as India won the match by 123 runs to register their first-ever Test victory on South African soil.
2. 2010- India wins by 87 runs, Durban
India came into the Durban Test of the 2010-11 Test series after losing the first math in Centurion by an innings and 25 runs. The Kingsmead pitch had a huge challenge up for the Indian team thanks to the greenness on the surface.
To compound the issue further MS Dhoni lost the toss and Graeme Smith had no hesitation in asking India to bat.
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Indian bowlers knew the pitch had something up for them and Zaheer Khan picked three wickets, including his bunny, opposition captain Graeme Smith. However, it was Harbhajan Singh’s 4/10 that enabled India to bowl out South Africa for 131 runs, giving India a slender lead of 74 runs.
VVS Laxman then played a great knock of 96 runs and with Sehwag (32), Zaheer (27), and Dhoni (21), took India to 228 runs in the second do, setting South Africa 303 runs to win the match.
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3. 2018- India wins by 63 runs, Johannesburg
India had come into this third Test of the series already having lost the first two Test matches and trying to avoid a whitewash. The pitch was a difficult one to play on due to uneven bounce and Virat Kohli chose to bat first after winning the toss.
India lost openers KL Rahul (0) and Murali Vijay (8) early, but then an 84-run stand between captain Virat Kohli (54) and Cheteshwar Pujara (50) saved India from blushes. Bhuvneshwar Kumar made 30 as India posted 187 runs in the first innings.
India fared much better in the second innings, despite the pitch getting harder to bat on. Ajinkya Rahane made 48 and Kohli made 41. Even Bhuvneshwar (33) and Shami (27) contributed as India posted 247 runs on the board and gave South Africa a stiff 241-run target to win the Test.
Aiden Markram fell to Mohammad Shami in the second over, but a 119-run stand between Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla (52) kept South Africa in the hunt. But as he fell at the score of 124 runs, Proteas batting collapse spectacularly.
These three Test wins will give India a lot of hope as they prepare to conquer their final frontier in South Africa and finally win the Test series in the rainbow nation.