It’s been a mixed bag for South Africa on Indian soil. A bilateral series of twenty-three years between the two countries which will now compete for the Mahatma Gandhi-Nelson Mandela series has some legacy value to draw upon because cricket became the first sport to establish links between the once apartheid nation and India.
Once freed from the Robben Island prison, Mandela, known as ‘Madiba’, called upon the sporting bodies to unite in South Africa and went out of the way to bring about a cricketing relationship between what was in 1992 called Mandela’s rainbow nation and Gandhi’s India.
The two countries have engaged themselves in 11 series so far; six in South Africa and five in India and there’s no gainsaying the fact that a number of cricketers have by their own way lit up the 29 Test matches, 12 of them in India. South Africa has been an unyielding touring side. It outplayed India 2-0 in 2000 and did not let India run away with the last two series in 2008 and 2010.
Led by Hansie Cronje, South Africa made a bumpy start to the first away series; in fact it was left shell shocked losing the Motera Test of 1996 by 64 runs with the downfall caused by Javagal Srinath’s six for 21 in under 12 overs.
Cronje and coach Bob Woolmer decried the quality of the pitch as being sub-standard and not a good advertisement for Test cricket.
They also made oblique references to some decisions handed out by umpires S.K. Bansal and George Sharp. Many sympathised with the visitor’s point of view.
Propelled by Gary Kirsten’s century in each innings (102 and 133) and his 236-run start with Andrew Hudson, South Africa quickly levelled the series at the Eden Gardens, but the second Test was dominated by a debate on Nayan Mongia letting off Kirsten in the first hour of the opening day’s play. There were two versions to the particular incident, but Mongia — standing back — would have us believe that the heavy atmosphere made the ball drift away even as he had lined up for the catch.
India proceeded to win the series 2-1 at Kanpur.
Three years later India was trounced 2-0, but before the start of the series, Sachin Tendulkar announced that he will not lead India anymore, raising eyebrows.
The selectors chose Mohammad Azharuddin for the two-Test series, but he had to miss the first Test because of a finger injury he suffered facing Nantie Hayward in the warm-up match at the CCI.
He made 102 in the second innings of the Bangalore Test, which turned out to be his 99th and last.
India under Sourav Ganguly won the Eden Gardens Test of 2004 with off-spinner Harbhajan Singh taking seven for 87, but it was in this Test that Jacques Kallis recorded the first of his three centuries; he made 121 in the first innings. His subsequent centuries — 132 and 173 — came in the 2008 and 2010 series.
The 2008 series that ended in a 1-1 result saw Virender Sehwag smash 319 at the MAC Stadium. It was here that Hashim Amla’s century streak on Indian soil began, he made 159 in the first innings; during his next tour in 2010 he made 253 not out in Nagpur and 114 and 123 not out at Kolkata.
A.B. de Villiers made a steady start in 2008 with a 44 at Chepauk; in the next Test at Ahmedabad, he cracked an unconquered 217; thereafter the Indian spinners have held him in check. His scores since the double have been 25, 7, 53, 12 and 3. He has played 98 Test matches without a break and after missing the Bangladesh tour he is on the verge of reaching the 100-Test mark and joining a special club — Kallis (165), Mark Boucher (146), Graeme Smith (116), Shaun Pollock (108), Gary Kirsten and Makhaya Ntini (101 each).
For the second time the two teams will play a four-Test series (the first was in 1992 in South Africa) which will give an opportunity for teams to stage a comeback.