We take a look at how the Proteas have performed on previous tours to India.
2014/15 Tour to India
Batting Performances
As Proteas fans, we remember this series as the worst tour to India, but the stats reveal that we were not too far off where scoring runs was concerned. Ajinkya Rahane was the only batter from both teams to score a century, bagging two in the four-match series. A total of five half-centuries were scored, with AB de Villiers accounting for two half-centuries and Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Murali Vijay only managing one fifty in the series.
Bowling Performances
Spin dominated throughout the series with India’s duo Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja topping the leader board with 31 and 23 wickets respectively. Imran Tahir (14) and Simon Harmer (10) followed, with Tahir, Harmer and Kyle Abbott recording the Proteas’ only match five-fors in the series.
India won 3-0
2009/10 Tour to India
Batting Performances
Hashim Amla dominated the India bowlers in this series. He made a total of 429 runs in three innings which included consecutive hundreds at an average of 490, and a high score of 253 not out. Jacques Kallis and Alviro Pietersen both managed one century in the series.
Bowling Performances
Dale Steyn’s match figures of 10-108 in the first Test were the best by any bowler in the series. He finished with 11 wickets in two matches at an average 20.27.
Series drawn
2007/2008 Tour to India
Batting performances
Other than Virender Sehwag topping the runs tally with 372 (that included an incredible 319), the Proteas batsmen dominated with the bat. Neil McKenzie, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers and Graeme Smith completed the list of top five run scorers in the series, with the latter three all picking up centuries. De Villiers picked up a double century, hitting 217 in the second Test, saving the series for the Proteas.
Bowling performances
Just like the batting department, the Proteas rounded off the top five wicket takers list in the series. Harbhajan Singh topped the standings with 19 wickets, while Dale Steyn (15), Makhaya Ntini (10), Morne Morkel (8) and Paul Harris (8) followed. Steyn bettered Singh’s best match figures of 8-265 by taking 8-114. While Ntini was the only other South African to take more than five wickets in a match.
Series drawn
2004/05 Tour to India
Batting Performances
Andrew Hall and Jacques Kallis were the only South African batsman to reach triple figure scores during this tour. Hall’s Man-of-the-Match 163 was his top score of the series while Kallis had a best of 121 in three innings.
Bowling performances
India’s spin duo Harbhajan Singh (13) and Anil Kumble (10) topped the wickets tally. Makhaya Ntini was South Africa’s best bowler with eight wickets in the two matches.
Series drawn
1999/00 Tour to India
Batting Performances
This was a series that included only one century (from Mohammad Azharuddin) and a total of seven half-centuries. Six of those half-centuries came from the South African camp, with Garry Kirsten hitting two fifties, while Daryll Cullinan, Jacques Kallis, Lance Klusener and Nicky Boje notched up one half-century apiece. Nicky Boje’s 85 off 198 deliveries as nightwatchman was a very special knock and it was arguably an innings that tilted the series in South Africa’s favour.
Bowling Performances
Nicky Boje was the only South African bowler to grab a five-for in the series, with best figures were 5-83. Shawn Pollock finished the series with nine wickets and best figures of 4-24.
South Africa won 2-0
1996/97 Tour of India
Batting performances
A series that saw Mohammad Azharuddin (388) and Gary Kirsten (322) match each other where runs were concerned. Both batsmen scored two centuries each, with the former edging his opponent with a half-century to his name too. It was a series that saw three South Africans in the top five on the run-scorers list, with Daryll Cullinan and Andrew Hudson recording the only other centuries.
Bowling performances
Javagal Srinath topped the wickets tally with 17 wickets in the series. Paul Adams was second in line with 14 wickets. Lance Klusener was also effective in the series finishing with 10 wickets and joined Adams and Srinath in taking eight wickets in a match.
India won 2-1
Photo: Ron Gaunt / BCCI / SPORTZPICS
