Rajneesh Gupta checks out the numbers for Virat and Faf and their boys.
India have never won a Test series in South Africa, but Virat Kohli's team will go into the three Test series, which begins in Capte Town on Friday, January 5, high on confidence, having won their last nine Test series in a row, including victories in the West Indies and Sri Lanka.
Leading India's charge will be Virat Kohli who has been on a golden run with the bat. In the last series against Sri Lanka, he finished with 610 runs, hitting a century in each of the three Tests, including two double hundreds in a row.
The Indian captain has played just two Tests in South Africa. In 2013-2014 he scored a century and a fifty.
Vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane's recent poor run at home won't be a concern if one considers his impressive record overseas and also in South Africa.
Rahane averages 53 outside India and that average is even higher in South Africa -- 69.67 for a tally of 209 runs in two Tests.
Batting pivot Cheteshwar Pujara also enjoys a healthy record in South Africa having done well on his previous two tours.
Openers Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay will be keen to improve their below par figures though.
India's No 1 spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is yet to pick a wicket in South Africa, having played just one Test in that country.
His spin partner Ravindra Jadeja took 6 wickets in the only Test he played there.
Ishant Sharma has visited the African twice, taking 7 wickets in 2010-2011 and 5 in 2013-2014.
Mohammed Shami, who played two Tests on India's last tour to South Africa, has 6 wickets at a strike rate of 75.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav are yet to play in that country while Jasprit Bumrah is yet to make his Test debut.
Check out the Indian team's Test career records and their performance against South Africa:
Virat Kohli
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 63 | 5,268 | 243 | 53.75 | 20 | 15 | 0 | 0/0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 60 |
Outside India | 31 | 2,347 | 200 | 45.13 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0/3 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 26 |
vs South Africa | 6 | 472 | 119 | 47.20 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0/0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 4 |
in South Africa | 2 | 272 | 119 | 68.00 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0/18 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Ajinkya Rahane
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 43 | 2,826 | 188 | 44.15 | 9 | 12 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 57 |
Outside India | 24 | 1,817 | 147 | 53.44 | 6 | 9 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 27 |
vs South Africa | 6 | 475 | 127 | 59.38 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 |
in South Africa | 2 | 209 | 96 | 69.67 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 |
Ravichandran Ashwin
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 55 | 2,055 | 124 | 31.14 | 4 | 11 | 304 | 7/59 | 25.45 | 52.82 | 26 | 7 | 21 |
Outside India | 20 | 863 | 118 | 31.96 | 2 | 4 | 84 | 7/83 | 31.75 | 59.99 | 6 | 1 | 8 |
vs South Africa | 5 | 119 | 56 | 23.80 | 0 | 1 | 31 | 7/66 | 14.61 | 40.00 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
in South Africa | 1 | 18 | 11* | 18.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/25 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Shikhar Dhawan
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 28 | 2,014 | 190 | 43.78 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0/0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 24 |
Outside India | 18 | 1,411 | 190 | 45.52 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0/0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 21 |
vs South Africa | 6 | 226 | 45* | 22.60 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/9 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 1 |
in South Africa | 2 | 76 | 29 | 19.00 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
Ravindra Jadeja
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 35 | 1,176 | 90 | 29.40 | 0 | 8 | 165 | 7/48 | 23.74 | 61.22 | 9 | 1 | 28 |
Outside India | 10 | 374 | 70* | 24.93 | 0 | 2 | 34 | 6/138 | 36.82 | 78.56 | 2 | 0 | 11 |
vs South Africa | 5 | 117 | 38 | 16.71 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 6/138 | 13.90 | 42.03 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
in South Africa | 1 | 8 | 8 | 4.00 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6/138 | 25.67 | 62.33 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 19 | 451 | 63* | 20.50 | 0 | 3 | 53 | 6/82 | 27.19 | 55.58 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
Outside India | 8 | 297 | 63* | 27.00 | 0 | 3 | 26 | 6/82 | 28.19 | 59.19 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
vs South Africa | 0 | ||||||||||||
in South Africa | 0 |
Mohammed Shami
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 27 | 326 | 51* | 14.82 | 0 | 1 | 95 | 5/47 | 30.78 | 54.03 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
Outside India | 17 | 228 | 51* | 15.20 | 0 | 1 | 57 | 5/112 | 34.70 | 58.02 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
vs South Africa | 2 | 6 | 4 | 2.00 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3/107 | 43.83 | 75.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
in South Africa | 2 | 6 | 4 | 2.00 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3/107 | 43.83 | 75.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Hardik Pandya
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 3 | 178 | 108 | 59.33 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2/31 | 23.75 | 48.00 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Outside India | 3 | 178 | 108 | 59.33 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2/31 | 23.75 | 48.00 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
vs South Africa | 0 | ||||||||||||
in South Africa | 0 |
Parthiv Patel
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches/Stumpings | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 23 | 878 | 71 | 33.77 | 0 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 52/10 |
Outside India | 12 | 357 | 69 | 25.50 | 0 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 28/5 |
vs South Africa | 0 | ||||||||||||
in South Africa | 0 |
Cheteshwar Pujara
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 54 | 4,396 | 206* | 52.96 | 14 | 16 | 0 | 0/2 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 39 |
Outside India | 21 | 1,310 | 153 | 38.53 | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 23 |
vs South Africa | 8 | 513 | 153 | 39.46 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0/2 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 9 |
in South Africa | 4 | 311 | 153 | 44.43 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 |
K L Rahul
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 21 | 1,428 | 199 | 44.63 | 4 | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 26 |
Outside India | 10 | 634 | 158 | 42.27 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 18 |
vs South Africa | 0 | ||||||||||||
in South Africa | 0 |
Wriddhiman Saha
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches/Stumpings | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 31 | 1,156 | 117 | 32.11 | 3 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 65/10 |
Outside India | 13 | 552 | 104 | 32.47 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 26/7 |
vs South Africa | 5 | 119 | 36 | 17.00 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5/ 2 |
in South Africa | 0 |
Ishant Sharma
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 79 | 558 | 31* | 8.45 | 0 | 0 | 226 | 7/74 | 36.55 | 67.19 | 7 | 1 | 16 |
Outside India | 47 | 403 | 31* | 8.57 | 0 | 0 | 146 | 7/74 | 37.56 | 64.62 | 6 | 1 | 7 |
vs South Africa | 11 | 49 | 23 | 5.44 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 4/79 | 51.14 | 96.62 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
in South Africa | 5 | 34 | 23 | 4.25 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 4/79 | 54.17 | 91.33 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rohit Sharma
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 23 | 1,401 | 177 | 42.45 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 1/26 | 101.00 | 167.00 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
Outside India | 14 | 632 | 79 | 26.33 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1/26 | 98.50 | 164.00 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
vs South Africa | 4 | 71 | 25 | 8.88 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/10 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 2 |
in South Africa | 2 | 45 | 25 | 11.25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/10 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Murali Vijay
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 53 | 3,700 | 167 | 41.57 | 11 | 15 | 1 | 1/12 | 167.00 | 330.00 | 0 | 0 | 44 |
Outside India | 24 | 1,548 | 150 | 36.86 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 1/12 | 105.00 | 216.00 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
vs South Africa | 9 | 429 | 97 | 28.60 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0/2 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 6 |
in South Africa | 3 | 176 | 97 | 29.33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/3 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Umesh Yadav
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 36 | 226 | 30 | 9.83 | 0 | 0 | 99 | 5/93 | 35.91 | 59.58 | 1 | 0 | 11 |
Outside India | 15 | 126 | 30 | 12.60 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 5/93 | 42.10 | 59.37 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
vs South Africa | 2 | 16 | 10* | 8.00 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3/9 | 12.00 | 50.40 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
in South Africa | 0 |
Jasprit Bumrah is yet to make his Test debut.
SOUTH AFRICA
South Africa boast of a strong squad, who are especially difficult to beat in home conditions.
Captain Faf du Plessis, run-machine Hashim Amla, opener Dean Elgar all average above 50 at home, while A B de Villiers has a healthy home average of 46.
The player to watch out in the home team will be opener Aiden Markram who has had a sensational start to his Test career with 380 runs in his first three Tests, including two centuries and a fifty even though the runs came against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.
In the bowling department, South Africa will look to torment India with the fiery pace of Dale Steyn who has an impressive tally of 241 wickets in 46 Tests at home at a strike rate of 39.
Young tearaway Kagiso Rabada's home record is even more threatening with 64 wickets in 11 games at an amazing strike rate of 27.
Vernon Philander is a dangerous customer in helpful conditions while the experienced Morne Morkel, who has been in good form recently, enjoys a good record against India.
Keshav Maharaj, who will lead South Africa's spinners, is yet to play a Test against India.
Check out the South Africans' Test records and their performance against India:
Faf du Plessis
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 45 | 2,839 | 137 | 46.54 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 0/1 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 34 |
in South Africa | 23 | 1,570 | 137 | 50.65 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0/1 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 16 |
vs India | 6 | 257 | 134 | 25.70 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0/1 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Hashim Amla
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 110 | 8,583 | 311* | 49.61 | 28 | 35 | 0 | 0/4 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 98 |
in South Africa | 57 | 4,476 | 208 | 50.86 | 16 | 20 | 0 | 0/4 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 49 |
vs India | 18 | 1,325 | 253* | 45.69 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0/6 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 18 |
Temba Bavuma
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 27 | 1,259 | 102* | 33.13 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 1/29 | 51.00 | 90.00 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
in South Africa | 14 | 541 | 102* | 31.82 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 |
vs India | 1 | 56 | 34 | 28.00 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 |
Theunis de Bruyn
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 3 | 72 | 48 | 12.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/18 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 5 |
in South Africa | 0 | ||||||||||||
vs India | 0 |
Quinton de Kock
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches/Stumpings | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 26 | 1,578 | 129* | 43.83 | 3 | 11 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 99/7 |
in South Africa | 12 | 697 | 129* | 53.62 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 38/1 |
vs India | 0 |
A B de Villiers
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches/Stumpings | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 107 | 8,127 | 278* | 50.48 | 21 | 40 | 2 | 2/49 | 52.00 | 102.00 | 0 | 0 | 205/ 5 |
in South Africa | 59 | 4,150 | 163 | 46.63 | 12 | 22 | 0 | 0/5 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 141/3 |
vs India | 17 | 1,123 | 217* | 40.11 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0/5 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 34 |
Dean Elgar
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 42 | 2,654 | 199 | 42.13 | 10 | 8 | 13 | 4/22 | 44.77 | 71.00 | 0 | 0 | 41 |
in South Africa | 21 | 1,491 | 199 | 55.22 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 2/10 | 59.80 | 94.60 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
vs India | 4 | 137 | 38 | 19.57 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4/22 | 27.20 | 51.60 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Keshav Maharaj
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 14 | 232 | 41* | 17.85 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 6/40 | 25.04 | 51.09 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
in South Africa | 5 | 76 | 32* | 38.00 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 5/59 | 21.25 | 40.15 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
vs India | 0 |
Aiden Markram
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 3 | 380 | 143 | 95.00 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0/13 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 4 |
in South Africa | 3 | 380 | 143 | 95.00 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0/13 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 4 |
vs India | 0 |
Morne Morkel
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 80 | 902 | 40 | 12.36 | 0 | 0 | 281 | 6/23 | 28.46 | 54.68 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
in South Africa | 35 | 303 | 31* | 9.18 | 0 | 0 | 127 | 5/20 | 27.61 | 52.72 | 3 | 0 | 16 |
vs India | 14 | 245 | 35 | 15.31 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 5/20 | 28.27 | 56.22 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Chris Morris
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 4 | 173 | 69 | 24.71 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 3/38 | 38.25 | 51.92 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
in South Africa | 2 | 98 | 69 | 32.67 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1/8 | 63.25 | 91.50 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
vs India | 0 |
Andile Phehlukwayo
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 3 | 10 | 6* | - | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3/13 | 11.89 | 21.11 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
in South Africa | 3 | 10 | 6* | - | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3/13 | 11.89 | 21.11 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
vs India | 0 |
Vernon Philander
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 47 | 1,196 | 74 | 25.45 | 0 | 7 | 173 | 6/44 | 22.38 | 49.43 | 11 | 2 | 14 |
in South Africa | 22 | 448 | 74 | 24.89 | 0 | 3 | 98 | 5/7 | 18.89 | 40.77 | 7 | 1 | 7 |
vs India | 3 | 88 | 59 | 29.33 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 4/61 | 22.23 | 54.92 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kagiso Rabada
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 23 | 260 | 34 | 13.68 | 0 | 0 | 105 | 7/112 | 22.30 | 39.45 | 7 | 3 | 8 |
in South Africa | 11 | 90 | 32* | 15.00 | 0 | 0 | 64 | 7/112 | 17.63 | 27.95 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
vs India | 3 | 14 | 6* | 7.00 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1/30 | 55.50 | 147.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Dale Steyn
Tests | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Wickets | Best | Average | Strike Rate | 5I | 10M | Catches | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 85 | 1,162 | 76 | 14.00 | 0 | 2 | 417 | 7/51 | 22.31 | 41.45 | 26 | 5 | 22 |
in South Africa | 46 | 692 | 58 | 17.30 | 0 | 1 | 241 | 6/8 | 20.95 | 39.38 | 16 | 3 | 12 |
vs India | 13 | 146 | 44 | 10.43 | 0 | 0 | 63 | 7/51 | 21.41 | 41.52 | 5 | 1 | 2 |