India and South Africa play the first test of the three-match series in India at Visakhapatnam which marks the Proteas entry in the World Test Championship. Under the leadership of Faf Du Plessis, the South Africans will be keen to start on a winning note though playing against the no.1 ranked team in their own backyard is not the kind of challenge you would want upfront.

Both sides boast of big names and have historically had some great duals. The quality of cricket should be of the highest quality and can act as an endorsement of test cricket. The two teams have played 36 times against each other with Indian winning 11, South Africa 15 and 10 tests were drawn. A look at the last five tests between the two teams. India vs South Africa 2019: Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin Eye Big Records in 1st Test Match 2019 in Visakhapatnam. 

 

South Africa vs India – Wanderers, Johannesburg – 24th January 2018 – India won by 63 runs

India were bundled out for 187 in the first innings thanks to the brilliance of the South African pace attack led by Kagiso Rabada who chipped in with 3 wickets. Jasprit Bumrah led India’s response with a five-wicket haul that gave the hosts a negligible 7 run lead. In the second innings, India improved a bit setting South Africa a target of 241 to win the game. The Proteas were going strong at 124 for 1 but a flurry of wickets scripted a memorable victory for India.

South Africa vs India – SuperSport Park, Centurion – 13th January 2018 – South Africa won by 135 runs

A brilliant century by Virat Kohli in the first innings helped India reach 307 in response to 335 put in by South Africa while the rest contributed precious little. In the second innings, Mohammad Shami’s 4 wickets helped restrict the Proteas to 258 with the visitors needing 287 for victory. But the Indian batting collapsed as it had no answers to the brilliance of Lungi Ngidi’s 6 wicket spell which sealed India’s fate.

South Africa vs India – Newlands, Cape Town – 5th January 2018 – South Africa won by 72 runs

A low scoring contest where the batsmen found scoring runs a difficult while the bowlers had a field day. India and South Africa scored 209 and 286 in the first innings and when the Proteas were cleaned up for 130 in the second innings, it gave India a real hope of victory. But Vernon Philander had other ideas as his 6-42 swept away the visitors who succumbed to a 72 run loss. Gautam Gambhir Backs Rohit Sharma As Opener in India vs South Africa 2019 Test Series.

India vs South Africa – Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi – 3rd December 2015 – India won by 337 runs

A century from Ajinkya Rahane powered India to 334 batting first while Ravindra Jadeja’s five-wicket haul meant South Africa could barely manage 121 on board before they were bowled. With a hefty lead, India went on to further consolidate declaring on 267-5. This time it was the other spinner, R Ashwin who notched up a five-wicket helping his side win by a massive 337 runs.

India vs South Africa – Vidarbha Cricket Stadium, Nagpur – 25th November 2015 – India won by 124 runs

India did not have the best of starts as it struggled its way to 215 in the first innings with Murli Vijay top-scoring with 40. But South Africa bombed with the bat as it made a paltry 79 with Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin sharing 9 wickets between them. India then set the Proteas a target of 310 on a pitch extremely difficult to score runs on. While the South Africans improved slightly, they were bundled out for 185 as the hosts won.

India vs South Africa 1st Test 2019, Match Preview

India have dominated South Africa at home in the past and the Proteas will have to play out of their depths to overcome this mammoth challenge ahead of them.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 02, 2019 07:30 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).