PRETORIA (Reuters) – India will be looking for history when they take on hosts South Africa in two Tests starting in Pretoria on Tuesday, hoping for their first ever victory in a country where they have come close before but fallen painfully short.
South Africa have won seven of India’s eight visits since the first time in 1992 with one series drawn in 2010/11, but six of those successes have been by a margin of one win.
Tourists may now feel that they have never had a better opportunity. South Africa does not have the experience and quality with bat and ball of previous years, and the top six in particular may be fragile.
They also face late fitness tests on key fast bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi, who could be in short supply at what is expected to be a lively Centurion Park pitch in the first Test, before the tour moves to Newlands in Cape Town for the second match. From January 3.
“If this can be made bigger, the fact that India have never won here does it,” South Africa coach Shukri Konrad said. “We definitely want to uphold that proud record.
“There’s a lot of fights that hinge on this series. It’s two tests, so the pressure is high. You’re 1-0 down and you can’t win the series. You’re 1-0 up, you can’t lose. It’s going to be like a heavyweight boxing bout.”
India have some injured absentees but are still a formidable team with a back-to-back success streak in Australia giving them belief that they can conquer this Mount Everest.
Leading seamer Mohammed Shami is unfit, while batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad is also out with a finger injury. Virat Kohli returned home for personal reasons this week, but is expected to return for the first Test.
Remarkably, South Africa have not been Tested at home since the rain-affected match against New Zealand in 2016, a 32-match series that resulted in 24 wins and eight defeats.
This is a testament to the stable weather, the positive cricket they play and pitches that are among the most challenging in the world for batsmen with swing, seam and spin, all of which are generally available during the five days.
“It’s a challenging place to bat; the stats will tell you that,” India coach Rahul Dravid told Star Sports. “Each of the players will have a game plan of how they want to go, and as long as they are clear about it, stick to it and practice it, then that’s fine.
“We don’t expect everyone to play the same way. We want them to be very clear about what works for them, and then be able to execute on that.”
(Reporting by Nick Said; Editing by Hugh Lawson)