The much-awaited two-match Test series between India and South Africa is all set to get underway on December 26 at SuperSport Park in Centurion.
Ahead of the red-ball series, India head coach Rahul Dravid recalled leading the national side to a historic Test win in Johannesburg 17 years ago.
While Team India are yet to clinch a Test series on South African soil, they have won four Tests in the rainbow nation so far.
It was under Dravid’s leadership that India won their first-ever Test in South Africa at the Wanderers Stadium during the 2006-07 tour.
“Very exciting to be able to win that Test match. I had come here on many tours before and we had never been able to win. Just remember the quality of our bowling. It was a low-scoring Test match and the wicket was doing a lot.
“Just the way our bowlers bowled was actually exceptional. I remember Sreesanth really swung that ball beautifully,” Dravid told Star Sports.
Sreesanth was the stand-out Indian bowler, leading the way with a five-wicket haul ( 5/40) as the Proteas were bowled out for 84 in their first innings, conceding a significant 165-run lead to India in the process.
Sreesanth also took three wickets (3/59) South Africa’s second essay to earn the ‘Player of the Match’ award.
“Big thanks to Rahul Dravid bhai. Rahul bhai, in fact, just before going into the field, he told me, ‘Sree you have been bowling really well, you’ve been in a very good rhythm. Win this match for us’. That really pushed the best out of me,” Sreesanth said on Star Sports.
The India head coach also lauded the batting department for scoring crucial runs in the low-scoring Test match.
While Sourav Ganguly scored a crucial half-century (51) in the first innings, VVS Laxman top-scored in the second essay with a gritty 73.
“And then we were able to get some runs on the board. Sourav got a pretty critical fifty and Laxman got some runs. It was just nice to be able to win that Test match, just unfortunate that we couldn’t go on to win the series. But it felt good, a lot of our tactics and strategies worked in that particular game, and we were able to execute really well.
“Really sort of special Test match for me and the Wanderers has been a very special ground,” Dravid concluded.
India, however, went on to lose the next two Tests in Durban and Cape Town. As a result, the Rahul Dravid-led side ended up conceding the three-match Test 2-1 to South Africa.
