Internet Desk: The World No.1 Indian Test team will play three-match Test series in South Africa, which is set to start from January 5, 2018 in Cape Town. India has toured to South Africa six time till now, but they haven’t won a series on the Proteas soil till now. Their best result came during 2010-11 tour where they managed to draw the three-match Test series 1-1. As the tour is getting closer and close, we will discuss about five most unforgettable moments in the India vs South Africa rivalry on the Proteas soil, which will be remembered for a long period of time.
# India first drew a series under Dhoni’s captaincy
India got their best results against the Proteas during the 2010-11 under Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s leadership where they fought toe to toe with the hosts in all three formats of the game. MS Dhoni’s men lost the ODI series 3-2 but won the single T20I game against them.
In the Test series India didn’t have a great start as they lost the first Test at Centurion by an innings. Though Dhoni and Co. fought back hard in the second Test thanks to a brilliant batting by VVS Laxman in the second Test where he scored 96 runs in the second innings and beside him Zaheer Khan too bowled brilliantly to help India to win the second Test and level the series. The Men in Blue played out a draw in the 3rd Test in Cape Town and the Test series was ended in a draw.
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# India’s first ever Test win against South Africa at their own back-yard
During the 2006-07 tour Rahul Dravid led Indian cricket team won their first ever Test match on the South African soil at the Johannesburg. It was possible due a brilliant spell from star Kerala pacer S Sreesanth who destroyed the South African batting line-up with his spell of 5/40 in the first innings to get them all-out on just 84. It was a comeback test for legendary Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly too who played a useful knock of 51 runs in the first innings.
# Sachin Tendulkar’s half-century of Centuries in Tests at Centurion
Legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar is known as just another name of records. During India’s tour of South Africa in 2010, he created another record by hitting his 50th Test hundred at Centurion in the first of three-match Test series against the Proteas. Though the Men in Blue lost that Test match by an innings and 25 runs but his record of half century of centuries is still intact.
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# Brilliant batting by Virat Kohli & Cheteshwar Pujara
This was the last time that India toured South Africa back in 2013. The Men in Blue started their journey with a 2-0 loss in the three-match ODI series.
During the Test series, current Indian team captain Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara did really well in the first Test as they both hit tons, but India failed to win the Test match due to a great resistance from Faf Du Plessis and AB De Villiers. Kohli was adjudged Man of the match for his brilliant batting.
# Virender Sehwag’s century in his debut Test
India toured South Africa this time in November 2001 under Sourav Ganguly’s leadership. Though India lost the Test series 1-0, but a new star was born in this series for India as debutant Virender Sehwag showed his capability by scoring a brilliant ton in the first Test, beside his Sachin Tendulkar too hit a ton.