India v South Africa Gandhi-Mandela Test series statistical preview

India v South Africa Gandhi-Mandela Test series statistical preview: The iconic and historic Mahatma Gandhi-Nelson Mandela series streams towards Tests now, after South Africa won both the T20I (2-0) and ODI series (3-2) they will be really exhilarated while devising for the 5-day matches. Of late South Africa has proved to be the best touring side and their record in the sub-continent further ameliorates their stake.

While the wickets are expected to be rolled out favoring the slower bowlers which is India’s strength, and their spinners in Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Harbhajan Singh and Axar Patel have done really well to impede the Protea batsmen apart from the 5^th ODI where things just fell apart. Despite that, what the Indian batsmen who look to be enjoying the breathing space of playing at home have struggled against the South African pace trio of the blistering Dale Steyn, his towering partner Morne Morkel and the 20-year old sensation Kagiso Rabada who ended up as the joint leading wicket-taker in the ODI series.

Yes, it will be an interesting contest, the home team will look to web the visitors with their spin, while the Proteas believing and relying on their frenzy pace attack and look to hurry the famed Indian batsmen up like they successfully did in the limited overs contests.

Here are the stats associated with the India v South Africa Test series:

• India and South Africa has played 11 Test series and the ensuing 4-Test series would be the twelfth series between the two teams.

• This is the second occasion of two teams clashing in a 4-Test series, the first one being the first ever series between the two teams in 1992-93. This series was played in South Africa and hence the ensuing 4-Test series is the first 4-Test series between the two teams played in India.

• This will be the seventh Test series played between the two teams in India.

• Off the 11 Test series played between the two teams, India has won 2, South Africa has won 6 and 3 series have ended in a draw.

• India and South Africa have thus far played 29 Tests against each other. India has won 7, South Africa has won 13 while 9 Tests have ended without a result.

• India’s 627 at Chennai in Mar 2008 is the highest team total by them against South Africa and also was the only occasion when India posted a total of 500 plus runs against South Africa. South Africa on its part has posted 500 plus totals on eight occasions against India and 643 for 6 declared at Kolkata in March 2010 happens to be their highest team total against India.

• India has been dismissed for a total less than 100 runs on two occasions against South Africa while India have been able to dismiss South Africa for a total of less than 100 only once.

• India’s lowest total in a completed innings against South Africa is its 66 at Durban in December 1996, while South Africa’s lowest total in a full innings against India is 84 it transpired in the Johannesburg Test in December 1996.

• Three Indian batsmen – Sachin Tendulkar (1741), Virender Sehwag (1306) and Rahul Dravid (1252) – have scored 1000 plus runs against South Africa.

• Two South African batsmen – J Kallis (1734) and H Amla (1207) have scored 1000 plus runs against India.

• Tendulkar’s 1741 runs is the highest aggregate by a batsman in India-South Africa Test series.

• The Indian batsmen have scored 25 centuries against South Africa in Tests.

• V Sehwag’s 319 at Chennai in March 2008 is the highest individual score by an Indian batsman against South Africa.

• Sachin Tendulkar has scored most centuries against South Africa- 7.

• Centuries by an Indian batsman against South Africa on 11 occasions have been on a losing cause. 4 off Sachin’s hundreds have gone in vain against South Africa.

• SR Tendulkar – 169 at Cape Town in January 1997 and MS Dhoni – 132 not out at Kolkata in February 2010 are the two Indian captains who have scored centuries against the Proteas.

• MS Dhoni with his 132* at Kolkata in February 2010 is the only ton by an Indian wicket keeper batsman against South Africa.

• There are eight occasions when Indian batsmen have scored nineties against South Africa. Sachin Tendulkar who got out for 97 at Mumbai in February 2010 and MS Dhoni’s 90 at Centurion in December 2010 make them the two Indian captains to score nineties against South Africa. MS Dhoni – 90 at Centurion in December 2010 is the only wicket keeper batsman to score a ninety against South Africa.

• As many as 33 centuries have been scored by South African batsmen against India which includes three double centuries.

• H Amla (253 not out at Nagpur in Feb 2010), AB de Villiers (217 not out at Ahmedabad in Apr 2008) and HH Gibbs (201 not out at Centurion in Dec 2010) are the three batsmen who have scored double centuries.

• Hashim Amla’s 253* at Nagpur in February 2010, represents the highest individual score by a Protea batsman against India.
• J Kallis with seven centuries to his credit holds the record for most hundreds by a South African against India.

• There are also four occasions when a South African batsman’s century has gone in vain against India.

• Kepeler Wessels’ 118 at Durban in November 1992 makes him the only South African captain to score a Test ton against India.

•  AB de Villiers – 103 at Johannesburg is the only South African captain to score a century against India.

• There are eight occasions of a South African batsman scoring nineties against India.

• Wessels’ unbeaten 95 at Port Elizabeth in December 1992 and Graeme Smith’s 94 at Cape Town in January 2007 make them the two South African captains to score nineties against India. No South African wicket-keeper has a ninety score against India.

• Virender Sehwag with 17 boundary sixes to his credit holds the record for most boundaries and sixes by an Indian batsman against South Africa while Jacques Kallis with 11 boundaries and sixes to his credit holds the record for most boundary sixes by a South African batsman against India. Sehwag holds the record for most boundary sixes in India-South Africa Test series. He and Kallis are the only two batsmen to score ten or more boundary sixes in India-South Africa Test series.

• Sachin Tendulkar with 242 boundary fours holds the record for most boundary fours by an Indian batsman against South Africa while J Kallis with 173 boundary fours carries the record for most boundary fours by a South African batsman against India. SR Tendulkar holds the record for most boundary fours in India-South Africa Test series. SR Tendulkar and J Kallis are the only two batsmen to score 150 plus boundary fours in India-South Africa Test series.

• Sachin Tendulkar and J Kallis are the only two batsmen to score ten or more fifties in India-South Africa Test series. Both the batsmen have scored 12 fifties. Both have scored seven centuries and five half centuries.

• Zaheer Khan holds the record for most ducks by an Indian batsman against South Africa. He has failed to open his account in five innings. M Ntini with four ducks to his credit hold the record for most ducks by South African batsman against India. S Sreesanth, J Srinath, SC Ganguly and A Kumble are the other four Indian batsmen to score four ducks against South Africa. Zaheer Khan’s five ducks represents the most ducks by a batsman in India-South Africa Test series.

• J Kallis with an aggregate of 498 runs in the 3-Test series against India in 2010-11 holds the record for most runs in a series by a South African batsman against India. Mohd Azharuddin with 388 runs in the 3-Test series against South Africa in 1996-97 holds the record for most runs in a series by an Indian batsman against South Africa. It is interesting to note that no batsman from either side has aggregated 500 plus runs in a Test series between the two teams.

• Three Indian bowlers – A Kumble (84), J Srinath (64) and Harbhajan Singh (60) – have an aggregate of 50 plus wickets against South Africa. Three South African bowlers – DL Steyn (63), AA Donald (57) and S Pollock (52) – have an aggregate of 50 plus wickets against India.

• A Kumble with 84 wickets holds the record for most wickets by a bowler in India-South Africa Test series.

• L Klusner’s 8 for 63 at Kolkata in Nov 1996 represent the best innings bowling effort by a South African bowler against India. It also represents the best innings bowling effort by a bowler in India-South Africa Test series. L Klusener is the only bowler to capture eight wickets in India-South Africa Test series. Harbhajan Singh with 7 for 87 at Kolkata in Nov 2004 holds the record for the best innings bowling effort by an Indian bowler against South Africa.

• Indian bowlers have captured five or more wickets in an innings on 17 occasions against South Africa.  Harbhajan Singh and J Srinath share the record for most five-wicket hauls against South Africa. Both the bowlers have taken five-plus wickets in an innings on four occasions.

• South African bowlers have captured five or more wickets in an innings on 15 occasions against India. DW Steyn with five or more wicket hauls holds the record for most five-wicket hauls against India. DE Steyn’s five or more wicket hauls is a record for most five-wicket hauls by a bowler in India-South Africa Test series.

• A Donald – 12 for 139 at Port Elizabeth in Dec 1992, DW Steyn – 10 for 108 at Nagpur in Feb 2010 and S Pollock – 10 for 147 at Bloemfontein in Nov 2001 – are the three South African bowlers who have captured ten or more wickets in a Test against India. V Prasad with his 10 for 153 at Durban in Dec 1996 is the only Indian bowler who has captured ten or more wickets in a Test against South Africa.

• A Donald’s 12 for 139 at Port Elizabeth in Dec 1992 represent the best bowling effort in a Test by a South African bowler against India. It also represents the best bowling effort in a Test by a bowler in India-South Africa Test series. V Prasad’s 10 for 153 at Durban in Dec 1996 represent the best bowling effort in a Test by an Indian bowler against South Africa.

• There are 36 occasions of Indian bowlers conceding 100 plus runs in an innings against South Africa. Harabhajan Singh’s 2 for 169 at ct Centurion in Dec 2010 provide the most expenisve bowling figures in an innings by an Indian bowler against South Africa. A Kumble holds the record for conceding 100 plus runs in an innings on most occasions by an Indian bowler against South Africa. He has conceded 100 plus runs in an innings on eight occasions.

• D Steyn of holds the record for conceding 100 plus runs on most occasions by a South African bowler against India. He has conceded 100 plus runs in five innings. There are 19 occasions of a South African bowler conceding 100 plus runs in an innings against India. PL Harris’s 3 for 203 at Chennai in Mar 2008 provide the most expensive bowling figures by a South African bowler against India in terms of runs conceded.

• PL Harris remains the only bowler to concede 200 plus runs in India-South Africa Test series and also his figures of 3 for 203 at Chennai in Mar 2008 represent the most expensive bowling figures in terms of runs conceded in India-South Africa Test series.

• D Steyn is the only South African bowler to capture five or more wickets in an innings conceding 100 plus runs against India. He returned with figures of 6 for 100 at Durban in Dec 2013.

Here is the table that lists the nine occasions when Indian bowlers captured 5 or more wickets in an innings while also conceding 100 plus runs against South Africa.

There are five occasions of Indian bowlers conceding 100 plus runs without capturing a wicket in an innings against South Africa. A Mishra’s none for 140 at Nagpur in Feb 2010 provides the most expensive bowling figures in an innings by an Indian bowler against South Africa in this category of statistics.

There are three occasions of South African bowlers conceding 100 plus runs without capturing a wicket against India. M Ntini’s none for 107 at Cape Town in Jan 2007 provide the most expensive bowling figures in an innings by a South African bowler against India in this category of statistics.

There are only two occasions of South Africa losing a Test when its bowlers had captured five or more wickets in an innings. PR Adam’s 6 for 55 at Kanpur in Dec 2010 and DW Steyn’s 6 for 50 at Durban in Dec 2010 are the two occasions.

Here is the table of Indian bowlers with 5 or more wickets against South Africa in an innings, in matches that the team lost:

• V Prasad’s – 10 for 153 at Durban in December 1996 – provide the only occasion of an Indian bowler’s 10-wicket haul in a Test going in vain against South Africa. It also provides the only occasion of a bowler’s ten wicket haul in a losing cause in India-South Africa Test series.

• J Kallis holds the record for most catches by a South African fieldsman against India. He has pouched 23 catches. R Dravid with 21 catches to his credit holds the record for most catches by an Indian fieldsman against South Africa.

• As many as six Indian fieldsmen have taken ten or more catches against South Africa while as many as eight South African fieldsmen have pouched ten or more catches against India. J Kallis with 23 catches to his credit holds the record for most catches by a fieldsman in India-South Africa Test series.

• M Boucher with 60 dismissals (58 ct plus 02 st) holds the record for most dismissals by a South African wicket-keeper against India. He also holds the record for most dismissals by a wicket keeper in India-South Africa Test series. MS Dhoni with 28 dismissals (27 ct plus 01 st) holds the record for most dismissals by an Indian wicket-keeper against South Africa.

• NR Mongia (five dismissals – all caught) at Durban in Dec 1996 and MS Dhoni (five dismissals – all caught) at Cape Town in Jan 2011 are the two Indian wicket-keepers who have effected five dismissals in an innings against South Africa.

• DJ Richardson, M Boucher (twice) and AB de Villiers are the three wicket-keepers who have affected 5 or more dismissals in an innings against India.

Four off the 5 occasions are listed below.

• Indian batsmen have posted 22 three figure partnerships against South Africa which includes eight partnerships of 200 plus runs. 268 runs partnership for the second wicket between V Sehwag and R Dravid denotes the highest partnership by Indian batsmen against South Africa.

• The first occasion when there was a 200 plus runs partnership for the first and second wickets in the same innings in the annals of Test cricket has been credited to Indian batsmen. Waseem Jaffer and Virender Sehwag added 213 runs for the first wicket at Chennai in March 2008. This was followed by a 268 runs partnership between Sehwag and Rahul Dravid in the same innings.

•  South African batsmen have posted 34 three figure partnerships against India which includes eight 200 plus runs partnerships.

• The 340 runs partnership between Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis for the third wicket at Nagpur in February 2010 is the record highest partnership by South African batsmen against India. This partnership not only represents the highest partnership in an India-South Africa Test series but also is the only occasion when a 300 plus partnership has been stitched in India-South Africa Test series.

Stats by HR Gopal Krishna