India will be looking to set the record straight when they take on South Africa in the first Test in Johannesburg on December 15.
India haven't won a Test on South African soil since the country was re-inducted to Test cricket in 1991-92 post-apartheid.
Rajneesh Gupta presents a statistical summary of Test series between India and South Africa.
SUMMARY OF RESULTS:
| Season | Host | Captain-Ind | Captain-SA | Tests | Ind | SA | Drawn | Winner |
| 1992-93 | SA | M Azharuddin | KC Wessels | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | SA |
| 1996-97 | Ind | SR Tendulkar | WJ Cronje | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | Ind |
| 1996-97 | SA | SR Tendulkar | WJ Cronje | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | SA |
| 1999-00 | Ind | SR Tendulkar | WJ Cronje | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | SA |
| 2001-02 | SA | SC Ganguly | SM Pollock | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | SA |
| 2004-05 | Ind | SC Ganguly | GC Smith | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Ind |
| In South Africa | 9 | 0 | 4 | 5 | ||||
| In India | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 16 | 3 | 7 | 6 |
HIGHEST INNINGS TOTALS
| India in South Africa: | 410 at Johannesburg in 1996-97 |
| India in India: | 400-7d at Kanpur in 1996-97 |
| South Africa in South Africa: | 563 at Blemfontein in 2001-02 |
| South Africa in India : | 479 at Bangalore in 1999-00 |
LOWEST COMPLETED INNINGS TOTALS
| India in South Africa: | 66 at Durban in 1996-97 |
| India in India: | 113 at Mumbai in 1999-00 |
| South Africa in South Africa: | 235 at Durban in 1996-97 |
| South Africa in India: | 105 at Ahmedabad in 1996-97 |
INDIVIDUAL HUNDREDS
India : 12
| Runs | Batsman | Venue | Season |
| 169 | SR Tendulkar | Cape Town | 1996-97 |
| 164 | V Sehwag | Kanpur | 2004-05 |
| 163* | M Azharuddin | Kanpur | 1996-97 |
| 155 | SR Tendulkar | Bloemfontein | 2001-02 |
| 148 | R Dravid | Johannesburg | 1996-97 |
| 129 | Kapil Dev | Port Elizabeth | 1992-93 |
| 115 | M Azharuddin | Cape Town | 1996-97 |
| 111 | SR Tendulkar | Johannesburg | 1992-93 |
| 109 | M Azharuddin | Calcutta | 1996-97 |
| 105 | V Sehwag | Bloemfontein | 2001-02 |
| 103 | PK Amre | Durban | 1992-93 |
| 102 | M Azharuddin | Bangalore | 1999-00 |
South Africa : 15
| Runs | Batsman | Venue | Season |
| 196 | HH Gibbs | Port Elizabeth | 2001-02 |
| 163 | AJ Hall | Kanpur | 2004-05 |
| 153* | DJ Cullinan | Calcutta | 1996-97 |
| 146 | AC Hudson | Calcutta | 1996-97 |
| 135 | WJ Cronje | Port Elizabeth | 1992-93 |
| 133 | G Kirsten | Calcutta | 1996-97 |
| 122* | DJ Cullinan | Johannesburg | 1996-97 |
| 121 | JH Kallis | Calcutta | 2004-05 |
| 118 | KC Wessels | Durban | 1992-93 |
| 108 | L Klusener | Bloemfontein | 2001-02 |
| 107 | HH Gibbs | Bloemfontein | 2001-02 |
| 103* | BM McMillan | Cape Town | 1996-97 |
| 103 | G Kirsten | Cape Town | 1996-97 |
| 102* | L Klusener | Cape Town | 1996-97 |
| 102 | G Kirsten | Calcutta | 1996-97 |
VICTIMS OF NERVOUS 90s:
India: 2
| Runs | Batsman | Venue | Season |
| 97 | SR Tendulkar | Mumbai WS | 1999-00 |
| 96 | G Gambhir | Kanpur | 2004-05 |
South Africa: 5
| Runs | Batsman | Venue | Season |
| 98 | BM McMillan | Johannesburg | 1992-93 |
| 97 | L Klusener | Bangalore | 1999-00 |
| 95* | KC Wessels | Port Elizabeth | 1992-93 |
| 95 | JH Kallis | Bangalore | 1999-00 |
| 91 | JN Rhodes | Johannesburg | 1992-93 |
LEADING RUN-SCORERS
India:
| Batsman | Tests | Inns | NO | Runs | Hs | Ave | 100s | 50s | 0s |
| SR Tendulkar | 16 | 29 | 2 | 1003 | 169 | 37.15 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| R Dravid | 12 | 23 | 2 | 829 | 148 | 39.48 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| M Azharuddin | 11 | 20 | 1 | 779 | 163* | 41.00 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| SC Ganguly | 11 | 20 | 1 | 522 | 73 | 27.47 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
South Africa:
| Batsman | Tests | Inns | NO | Runs | Hs | Ave | 100s | 50s | 0s |
| G Kirsten | 10 | 19 | 1 | 720 | 133 | 40.00 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| AC Hudson | 10 | 20 | 1 | 690 | 146 | 36.32 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
| DJ Cullinan | 8 | 15 | 2 | 688 | 153* | 52.92 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| JH Kallis | 6 | 11 | 4 | 579 | 121 | 82.71 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| BM McMillan | 10 | 18 | 5 | 551 | 103* | 42.38 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| WJ Cronje | 11 | 21 | 2 | 524 | 135 | 27.58 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| L Klusener | 9 | 15 | 3 | 520 | 108 | 43.33 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| HH Gibbs | 7 | 13 | 0 | 500 | 196 | 38.46 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
HIGHEST PARTNERSHIP FOR EACH WICKET:
India:
| Wkt | Runs | Players | Venue | Season | |
| 1st | 218 | V Sehwag | G Gambhir | Kanpur | 2004-05 |
| 2nd | 171 | D Dasgupta | R Dravid | Port Elizabeth | 2001-02 |
| 3rd | 60* | R Dravid | SR Tendulkar | Calcutta | 2004-05 |
| 4th | 145 | R Dravid | SC Ganguly | Johannesburg | 1996-97 |
| 5th | 220 | SR Tendulkar | V Sehwag | Bloemfontein | 2001-02 |
| 6th | 222 | SR Tendulkar | M Azharuddin | Cape Town | 1996-97 |
| 7th | 76 | R Dravid | J Srinath | Johannesburg | 1996-97 |
| 8th | 161 | A Kumble | M Azharuddin | Calcutta | 1996-97 |
| 9th | 80 | VVS Laxman | A Kumble | Port Elizabeth | 2001-02 |
| 10th | 52 | AB Agarkar | M Kartik | Mumbai WS | 1999-00 |
South Africa:
| Wkt | Runs | Players | Venue | Season | |
| 1st | 236 | AC Hudson | G Kirsten | Calcutta | 1996-97 |
| 2nd | 212 | G Kirsten | DJ Cullinan | Calcutta | 1996-97 |
| 3rd | 130 | JH Kallis | ND McKenzie | Bloemfontein | 2001-02 |
| 4th | 105 | HH Gibbs | HH Dippenaar | Port Elizabeth | 2001-02 |
| 5th | 164 | JH Kallis | L Klusener | Bangalore | 1999-00 |
| 6th | 144 | AJ Hall | Z de Bruyn | Kanpur | 2004-05 |
| 7th | 121 | L Klusener | MV Boucher | Bloemfontein | 2001-02 |
| 8th | 147* | BM McMillan | L Klusener | Cape Town | 1996-97 |
| 9th | 60 | PS de Villiers | AA Donald | Ahmedabad (GS) | 1996-97 |
| 10th | 74 | BM McMillan | AA Donald | Durban | 1996-97 |
FIVE WICKETS IN AN INNINGS:
India : 11
| Wkts | Runs | Balls | Bowler | Venue | Season |
| 7 | 87 | 180 | Harbhajan Singh | Calcutta | 2004-05 |
| 6 | 21 | 71 | J Srinath | Ahmedabad (GS) | 1996-97 |
| 6 | 53 | 264 | A Kumble | Johannesburg | 1992-93 |
| 6 | 76 | 180 | J Srinath | Port Elizabeth | 2001-02 |
| 6 | 104 | 210 | BKV Prasad | Calcutta | 1996-97 |
| 6 | 131 | 324 | A Kumble | Kanpur | 2004-05 |
| 6 | 143 | 412 | A Kumble | Bangalore | 1999-00 |
| 5 | 60 | 114 | BKV Prasad | Durban | 1996-97 |
| 5 | 93 | 150 | BKV Prasad | Durban | 1996-97 |
| 5 | 104 | 151 | J Srinath | Johannesburg | 1996-97 |
| 5 | 140 | 198 | J Srinath | Bloemfontein | 2001-02 |
South Africa: 8
| Wkts | Runs | Balls | Bowler | Venue | Season |
| 8 | 64 | 129 | L Klusener | Calcutta | 1996-97 |
| 7 | 84 | 168 | AA Donald | Port Elizabeth | 1992-93 |
| 6 | 55 | 115 | PR Adams | Kanpur | 1996-97 |
| 6 | 56 | 130 | SM Pollock | Bloemfontein | 2001-02 |
| 5 | 40 | 96 | SM Pollock | Port Elizabeth | 2001-02 |
| 5 | 40 | 96 | AA Donald | Durban | 1996-97 |
| 5 | 55 | 162 | AA Donald | Port Elizabeth | 1992-93 |
| 5 | 83 | 228 | N Boje | Bangalore | 1999-00 |
MOST WICKETS IN A MATCH:
India:
| Wkts | Runs | Balls | Bowler | Venue | Season | |
| 10 | 153 | 264 | BKV Prasad | Durban | 1996-97 | 5-60 & 5-93 |
| 9 | 141 | 309 | Harbhajan Singh | Calcutta | 2004-05 | 2-54 & 7-87 |
| 8 | 68 | 186 | J Srinath | Ahmedabad (GS) | 1996-97 | 2-47 & 6-21 |
| 8 | 104 | 282 | J Srinath | Port Elizabeth | 2001-02 | 6-76 & 2-28 |
| 8 | 113 | 420 | A Kumble | Johannesburg | 1992-93 | 2-60 & 6-53 |
South Africa:
| Wkts | Runs | Balls | Bowler | Venue | Season | |
| 12 | 139 | 330 | AA Donald | Port Elizabeth | 1992-93 | 5-55 & 7-84 |
| 10 | 147 | 292 | SM Pollock | Bloemfontein | 2001-02 | 4-91 & 6-56 |
| 9 | 54 | 163 | AA Donald | Durban | 1996-97 | 5-40 & 4-14 |
| 8 | 139 | 235 | PR Adams | Kanpur | 1996-97 | 6-55 & 2-84 |
| 8 | 139 | 213 | L Klusener | Calcutta | 1996-97 | 0-75 & 8-64 |
LEADING WICKET-TAKERS:
India:
| Bowler | Mts | Balls | Mdns | Runs | Wkts | Best | 5WI | 10WM | Ave | SR | RpO |
| A Kumble | 16 | 5438 | 226 | 2084 | 66 | 6-53 | 3 | 0 | 31.58 | 82.39 | 2.30 |
| J Srinath | 13 | 3315 | 129 | 1567 | 64 | 6-21 | 4 | 0 | 24.48 | 51.80 | 2.84 |
| BKV Prasad | 6 | 1278 | 33 | 684 | 25 | 6-104 | 3 | 1 | 27.36 | 51.12 | 3.21 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 3 | 997 | 31 | 475 | 16 | 7-87 | 1 | 0 | 29.69 | 62.31 | 2.86 |
South Africa:
| Bowler | Mts | Balls | Mdns | Runs | Wkts | Best | 5WI | 10WM | Ave | SR | RpO |
| AA Donald | 11 | 2494 | 121 | 987 | 57 | 7-84 | 3 | 1 | 17.32 | 43.75 | 2.37 |
| SM Pollock | 9 | 2099 | 109 | 813 | 39 | 6-56 | 2 | 1 | 20.85 | 53.82 | 2.32 |
| PR Adams | 5 | 947 | 30 | 546 | 23 | 6-55 | 1 | 0 | 23.74 | 41.17 | 3.46 |
| BM McMillan | 10 | 1819 | 98 | 678 | 23 | 4-74 | 0 | 0 | 29.48 | 79.09 | 2.24 |
| L Klusener | 9 | 1072 | 35 | 605 | 17 | 8-64 | 1 | 0 | 35.59 | 63.06 | 3.39 |
| WJ Cronje | 11 | 1045 | 75 | 316 | 14 | 3-23 | 0 | 0 | 22.57 | 74.64 | 1.81 |
| M Ntini | 4 | 826 | 21 | 442 | 11 | 4-112 | 0 | 0 | 40.18 | 75.09 | 3.21 |
| M Hayward | 3 | 699 | 30 | 318 | 10 | 3-70 | 0 | 0 | 31.80 | 69.90 | 2.73 |
| JH Kallis | 6 | 566 | 33 | 287 | 10 | 3-30 | 0 | 0 | 28.70 | 56.60 | 3.04 |
MOST DISMISSALS IN AN INNINGS:
India:
| Dismissals | Keeper | Venue | Season |
| 5 (all ct) | NR Mongia | Durban | 1996-97 |
| 4 (all ct) | NR Mongia | Cape Town | 1996-97 |
| 4 (all ct) | KD Karthik | Calcutta | 2004-05 |
South Africa:
| Dismissals | Keeper | Venue | Season |
| 5 (all ct) | DJ Richardson | Port Elizabeth | 1992-93 |
| 5 (all ct) | MV Boucher | Mumbai WS | 1999-00 |
| 4 (all ct) | DJ Richardson | Port Elizabeth | 1992-93 |
| 4 (3 ct + 1 st) | DJ Richardson | Cape Town | 1996-97 |
| 4 (4 ct) | MV Boucher | Bloemfontein | 2001-02 |
| 4 (all ct) | MV Boucher | Bloemfontein | 2001-02 |
MOST DISMISSALS IN A MATCH:
India:
| Dismissals | Keeper | Venue | Season |
| 8 (all ct) | NR Mongia | Durban | 1996-97 |
| 6 (all ct) | KD Karthik | Calcutta | 2004-05 |
| 5 (all ct) | KS More | Cape Town | 1992-93 |
South Africa:
| Dismissals | Keeper | Venue | Season |
| 9 (all ct) | DJ Richardson | Port Elizabeth | 1992-93 |
| 8 (all ct) | MV Boucher | Bloemfontein | 2001-02 |
| 7 (all ct) | MV Boucher | Mumbai WS | 1999-00 |
| 6 (5 ct+ 1 st) | DJ Richardson | Cape Town | 1996-97 |
LEADING WICKET-KEEPERS:
India:
| Dismissals | Keeper | Tests |
| 20 (19 ct + 1 st) | NR Mongia | 8 |
| 11 (all ct) | KS More | 4 |
South Africa:
| Dismissals | Keeper | Tests |
| 32 (31 ct + 1 st) | DJ Richardson | 10 |
| 21 (all ct) | MV Boucher | 4 |
MOST CATCHES IN AN INNINGS:
India:
| Ct | Fielder | Venue | Season |
| 3 | VVS Laxman | Mumbai WS | 1999-00 |
| 3 | W Jaffer | Bangalore | 1999-00 |
South Africa:
| Ct | Fielder | Venue | Season |
| 4 | AC Hudson | Cape Town | 1992-93 |
| 3 | BM McMillan | Port Elizabeth | 1992-93 |
| 3 | BM McMillan | Ahmedabad | 1996-97 |
| 3 | BM McMillan | Calcutta | 1996-97 |
MOST CATCHES IN A MATCH:
India:
There have been 8 instances of a fielder taking 3 catches in a match
South Africa:
| Ct | Fielder | Venue | Season |
| 4 | AC Hudson | Cape Town | 1992-93 |
| 4 | BM McMillan | Port Elizabeth | 1992-93 |
LEADING FIELDERS:
India:
| Ct | Fielder | Tests | CpT |
| 13 | M Azharuddin | 11 | 1.18 |
| 13 | R Dravid | 12 | 1.08 |
| 10 | VVS Laxman | 9 | 1.11 |
| 10 | SR Tendulkar | 16 | 0.63 |
South Africa:
| Ct | Fielder | Tests | CpT |
| 21 | BM McMillan | 10 | 2.10 |
| 14 | AC Hudson | 10 | 1.40 |
| 10 | L Klusener | 9 | 1.11 |
CAPTAINCY RECORDS:
India:
| Captain | Tests | Won | Lost | Drawn | Winning% | Toss: W | L | Winning% |
| M Azharuddin | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | - | 1 | 3 | 25.00 |
| SR Tendulkar | 8 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 25.00 | 6 | 2 | 75.00 |
| SC Ganguly | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 25.00 | 1 | 3 | 25.00 |
South Africa:
| Captain | Tests | Won | Lost | Drawn | Winning% | Toss: W | L | Winning% |
| KC Wessels | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 25.00 | 3 | 1 | 75.00 |
| WJ Cronje | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 62.50 | 2 | 6 | 25.00 |
| SM Pollock | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50.00 | 1 | 1 | 50.00 |
| GC Smith | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.00 | 2 | 0 | 100.00 |
MOST APPEARANCES
India:
| Player | Tests |
| A Kumble | 16 |
| SR Tendulkar | 16 |
| J Srinath | 13 |
| R Dravid | 12 |
| M Azharuddin | 11 |
| SC Ganguly | 11 |
South Africa:
| Player | Tests |
| WJ Cronje | 11 |
| AA Donald | 11 |
| AC Hudson | 10 |
| G Kirsten | 10 |
| BM McMillan | 10 |
| DJ Richardson | 10 |