why-cant-india-win-any-test-series-in-south-africa-know-the-reasons | Khelostarnews

The latest and most challenging series for Team India on the South Africa tour has commenced today, that is, from December 26th. The first match of the two-test series between both teams is being played in Centurion. Although Team India has not been able to win any Test series in South Africa so far, this time, Team India is determined to win this series. Not only to change history but also due to the significance of reaching the WTC final, this series is extremely crucial. In this blog, we will explore the results of India's past series in South Africa, the reasons for the losses, and the expectations for Team India in this series. 

History of the Ind-SA Test in South Africa:

When India started playing cricket in 1932, the team needed to be stronger. They faced defeats in every country. However, after winning the 1983 World Cup, the world recognized India. Since that year, India has begun winning Test series abroad as well. The team secured victories in Test series against England, New Zealand, West Indies, and all Asian countries. India has succeeded against Australia twice, but so far, the team has been unable to win a series in South Africa.

Team India has played a total of 8 series in South Africa. In the initial 4, India suffered losses in a one-sided manner. The first series in 2010 ended in a draw, and from 2013 to 2021, Team India came close to winning the series three times, but unfortunately, they faced defeat in all three.

Experts suggest that India couldn't win the series due to batting issues. However, in South Africa, India's two stalwarts, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, together scored 7 centuries. Both have an average of more than 45. The statistics reveal that South Africa's team has been slightly better than India's. In this context, let's explore the difficulties faced by Team India in winning Test series in South Africa in three different phases. This continues the flow of your blog. Here are the details of all the 9 series:

• First Series: On November 13, 1992, India played its first Test in South Africa. Under the captaincy of Mohammad Azharuddin, India lost the 4-match series 1-0, with 3 matches ending in a draw.
• Second Series: In 1996, under the captaincy of Sachin Tendulkar, India lost the 3-match series 0-2.
• Third Series:In 2001, under the captaincy of Sourav Ganguly, India faced a similar outcome, losing the 2-match series 1-0.
• Fourth Series:In a span of 9 years, India played 9 Tests in South Africa without securing a single victory. The team lost 4 Tests, while 5 matches ended in draws. Then, under the captaincy of Rahul Dravid in 2006, India played a 3-match series. With a top bowling performance by S. Sreesanth, taking 8 wickets, India won the first Test. However, losing the remaining 2 Tests, the team lost the series. In other words, from 1992 to 17 years later in 2009, India played 12 Tests, won only one, and lost all four series.
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Reasons for Loss in the First 4 Series:

Out of the 6 Tests that India lost, 2 times the team faced defeat by more than 280 runs, and 2 times they lost by 9 wickets. In other words, India experienced one-sided defeats. In the remaining 2 Tests, the team also suffered losses by a margin of 174 runs and 5 wickets, indicating South Africa's dominance in most series. South Africa's 13 batsmen averaged more than 35 runs, while only 5 Indian batsmen could maintain an average of more than 35. Among them, Sachin Tendulkar was the key batsman in Indian batting, while the rest of the batsmen struggled.

In the 12 Tests, South African bowlers were taking a wicket after conceding 25 runs, while Indian bowlers were giving away 35 runs for each wicket. This indicates weaknesses in both the batting and bowling departments for India. In the upcoming 2 series, MS Dhoni played the roll of captaincy under whom, India first time drew the series in South Africa. Here are the details of these series:

• Fifth Series: By 2009, Mahendra Singh Dhoni had led Team India in all three formats. In 2010, they faced a significant challenge during the South Africa tour. In the first Test, India was all out for 136 runs. Sachin Tendulkar scored his 50th Test century in the second innings, but the team lost the match by an inning and 25 runs. In the second Test, India made a comeback and won a close contest by 87 runs. The third Test ended in a draw, and for the first time in South Africa, India did not have to face a series defeat, with the series ending in a 1-1 draw.
• Sixth Series: In 2013, under Dhoni's captaincy again, Team India played a Test series. In the first match of the 2-Test series, India set a target of 458 runs. It seemed like India would win, but on the fifth day, South Africa scored 450 runs for the loss of 7 wickets, and the match ended in a draw. Virat Kohli played innings of 119 and 96 runs. In the second Test, India suffered a shameful defeat by 10 wickets, losing the Test series 1-0.
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In this phase, six Indian batsmen had an average of nearly 40 runs. During this period, only 8 South African batsmen managed to maintain an average of more than 40. However, South Africa was losing wickets after scoring 40 runs on average, while India was losing a wicket at just 28 runs. From 2010 to 2014, in 5 Tests, South African bowlers took 89 wickets, while Indian bowlers could only manage to take 66 wickets. For dismissing one wicket, Indian bowlers were conceding an average of 44 runs, whereas South African bowlers were taking wickets by conceding only 30 runs.

Under Dhoni's captaincy, the performance of the batsmen was impressive, but the bowlers were disappointed. This was the reason that despite coming close to winning the series in South Africa, India couldn't change the results. The next two Series India played under the captaincy of Virat Kohli.

• Seventh Series: In 2014, Virat Kohli took charge of Team India, becoming their best Test captain. Under his captaincy, India drew a series in England, won a 2-Test series in Australia, and did not lose any series in Asia. However, Kohli couldn't secure a Test series victory in South Africa, although under his leadership, the team came closest to winning a series. In 2018, under Kohli's captaincy, Team India toured South Africa for the first time. The team won the ODI series 5-1 and the T20 series 2-1 but faced a loss in the Test series by a margin of 1-2. India lost the first two Tests by 72 and 135 runs, respectively, coming close to victory in both instances but ultimately suffering defeat. They won the final Test by 63 runs.
• Eighth Series: In 2021-22, under Kohli's captaincy again, Team India toured South Africa. Before the tour, Kohli stepped down from T20 captaincy, and BCCI removed him from ODI captaincy. Despite these changes, India won the first Test by 113 runs. In the second Test, Kohli got injured, and K.L. Rahul took over the captaincy. India lost the match by 7 wickets. Kohli returned for the third Test, but India suffered a defeat by 7 wickets. Despite taking a 1-0 lead, India lost the series 2-1.

India's 2023 Test Team

In 2023, Team India toured South Africa under the captaincy of three different leaders, playing series in all three formats. Under Suryakumar Yadav's captaincy, the T20 series ended in a 1-1 draw, while K.L. Rahul led the team to a 2-1 victory in the ODI series. Now, Rohit Sharma is set to lead the team in a 2-Test series, with the first match scheduled for December 26 at Centurion and the second on January 3 at Cape Town.

The current Team India boasts an experienced bowling lineup with Jasprit Bumrah, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja, supported by the youthful energy of Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, and Prasidh Krishna. In the batting department, the team features stalwarts like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and K.L. Rahul, along with the promising talents of Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shreyas Iyer.

Rohit Sharma, in his significant Test captaincy role, has led India in only three Tests abroad. Until 2006, no Indian captain could come close to winning a series in South Africa. In 2010, Dhoni became the first captain to draw a series in South Africa. By 2022, Kohli remained the only Indian captain to win 2 Tests in South Africa but couldn't clinch a series victory. Despite leading the team close to series victories, Kohli fell short.

Now, Rohit Sharma, having captained India in nine Tests until now, with his only overseas captaincy experience being in the West Indies, faces the challenging task of leading India in a Test series in South Africa. He led India in the 2023 World Test Championship final, resulting in a defeat. Therefore, the Test series against South Africa poses a crucial test for Rohit Sharma's captaincy, potentially shaping the future of his leadership in Test cricket.