We take a look at five historic performances in Tests between South Africa and India.
Allan Donald inspires home Test win after readmission:
In 1992, India were the first side to visit South Africa for a Test match since 1970 and the Proteas sealed a brilliant 1-0 series win in a four-match series. The only win came in the third Test when SA demolished India by nine wickets.
Donald was phenomenal during India’s first innings and helped bundle the visitors out for 212. He finished with 5-55 which included the scalp of Sachin Tendulkar. SA managed 275 in reply thanks to Hansie Cronje, who struck 135 off 410 balls. Donald was instrumental once again in India’s response taking 7-84, ending Kapil Dev’s brilliant 129 which revived India after they lost six for 31 runs. SA chased down the target with one wicket down thanks to a Kepler Wessels 95. Donald finished with 12-139, his best match figures.
Kallis scores first double-century:
In December 2010, Kallis scored his first ever double-century, 201 not out in the first Test against India at Centurion, in an innings and 25-run victory. At the time, Kallis had been the only player in the top 15 Test run-scorers not to have reached 200 before this contest and it took him 242 Test innings to achieve this feat.
Virender Sehwag triple-century:
Shewag scored his second triple-century to join Donald Bradman and Brian Lara on two. He became the first Indian to score a triple-century when he struck 309 against Pakistan in Multan in 2004 and struck 319 against South Africa in Chennai in 2008. This is his highest score in Test matches between the two sides.
Dale Steyn destroys India:
In February 2010, South Africa faced India in Nagpur in the first Test. Dale Steyn finished with a 10-for in a dominant innings and six-run victory. It was in India’s first innings where Steyn was truly destructive. He took 7-51 to bundle India out for 233, enforcing a follow-on after South Africa declared on 558-6, thanks to 253 from Hashim Amla and 173 from Kallis. Steyn took another three in India’s second innings to complete his 10-wicket haul, but his 7-51 still remains his best innings figures in Tests.
AB de Villiers 217:
On 4 April 2008, De Villiers became the first South African to score a double-century against India with an undefeated 217 at Ahmedabad. It came in a crushing victory for South Africa, who beat India by an innings and 90 runs in the second Test. India were bundled out for 76 in their first innings, South Africa’s reply with the bat was just as ruthless as they scored 494-7 declared thanks to 132 from Kallis and De Villiers’ 217.
Photo: Duif du Toit/Gallo Images
