Past lessons from SA for Kohli and Dravid
NEW DELHI: India shortly begin their eighth Test series in South Africa, a contest that is only 30 years old and hence more a new frontier than final as they search for a first victory. The tumult in Indian cricket means skipper Virat Kohli and his team have whipped up huge anticipation ahead of the first Test starting at Centurion on December 26.
Like Kohli on earlier tours, coach Rahul Dravid too has had highs and lows as batter and skipper in South Africa, and they will have plenty to ponder. Shutting out outside noise, finding his best form, helping galvanise misfiring middle-order batters and getting the playing eleven right will all matter for the skipper.
India had their first series wins in the West Indies and England in 1971, but it took until 2018 for a breakthrough in Australia. While they have never lost in the Caribbean since 2006, they have only nine wins each in England and Australia. Three of the wins in England and four in Australia have come since 2018.
In South Africa, India have won three and lost 10 with seven games drawn. Despite South Africa’s potent pace attack and solid batters down the years, India have threatened but let slip the advantage. Batting too fast, too slow, an administrative call that came back to hurt, team selection, they have all played their role in a series win remaining elusive.
On their second tour in 1996-97, India squandered chances twice. The first was of their making while the second was due to BCCI’s defensive mindset.
The Sachin Tendulkar-led India were dismissed for 100 and 66 in the first Test loss in Durban, Venkatesh Prasad’s 10-wicket match haul going in vain. Next in Cape Town, after the hosts declared on 529/7, India lost five quick wickets. Tendulkar and Mohammad Azharuddin then dominated in a 222-run partnership for the sixth wicket.
The skipper though wasn’t pleased as Azhar played ultraaggressive—he hit 115 off 110 balls with 19 fours and a six— and was then run out, ending a stand that could have turned the game around. Tendulkar scored 169 and was the last man out, but India didn’t recover after conceding a 170-run lead and folded for 144 in the second innings.
Dravid won’t need a reminder of the drawn third Test in Johannesburg. Though India were 0-2, the young batsman, fresh from an impressive debut in England, took on Allan Donald and Co.
Signalling he was India’s long-term No. 3, he top-scored in both innings. His 148 and 81, backed by Sourav Ganguly’s 73 and 60, helped India set a 356run target.
South Africa were reeling at 95/7, but Daryl Cullinan (122*) raised a 127-run eighth-wicket stand with Lance Klusener (49). India’s victory push was also slowed by rain stoppages on the last day. What frustrated them more was BCCI not having agreed to the South African board’s suggestion for using floodlights in case of bad light. That decision was to deny the Proteas an advantage, but hurt the visitors. South Africa were 228/8 when they escaped with a draw in gloomy light with four overs still to bowl.
A decade later, under Dravid’s captaincy, India won their first Test in South Africa. At Johannesburg, S Sreesanth’s exemplary seam bowling routed South Africa for 84 in reply to India’s 249. Sreesanth’s 5/40 included arguably the ball of the series to remove Jacques Kallis. The in-swinger drew the great SA all-rounder to the ball, only for late away movement to take the edge, VVS Laxman taking the catch at second slip.
(Sreesanth would bowl a standout delivery to Kallis four years later, at Durban in December 2010. A short one reared and jagged into the batsman, who was off the ground, arched back and fending, to glove a catch to gully.)
India set South Africa a target of 402 and dismissed them for 278, Sreesanth again getting Kallis to nick to slip. The advantage of that 123-run win though was lost due to poor batting in the next two Tests.
In Durban, India lost by 174 runs. Set a target of 354, they began Day 5 on 38/2 but were dismissed for 174. “We knew we had to bat out no more than 70-75 overs, but couldn’t manage it,” Dravid rued after the game, blaming the top-order batters’ inability to tackle Makhaya Ntini.
In the decider at Cape Town, India, despite batting well in the first innings and holding a 41-run first innings lead, paid for ultra-defensive batting in the second innings—seven batters anyway didn’t get to double figures—to be dismissed for 169. South Africa chased down 211 easily.
In 2013, the draw at Johannesburg was like a defeat after largely dominating the game. South Africa, set a target of 458 and 138/2 at stumps on Day 4, batted out 95 more overs as India took only five wickets on the last day.
Faf du Plessis scored 134 in a six-and-a-half-hour marathon, but R Ashwin, who bowled 36 overs in the innings, could not take a wicket. South Africa were eight short of victory when the match was drawn.
In 2018, it was about selection. Ajinkya Rahane was controversially left out for the first two Tests. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, despite a solid all-round show in the first Test loss in Cape Town, was omitted at Centurion and the series was lost. India recalled Rahane for the last Test at Johannesburg and his gritty knock on a tough pitch added to India’s pace bowling for a fine win, though a consolation in the end.