In 1996/97, five winters after their readmission to international cricket, South Africa returned to India to play the Titan Cup, which also featured Australia; three Test matches; and an ODI that doubled as a benefit match for Mohinder Amarnath.
India won all three, though South Africa were the better side in the Titan Cup. They beat both India and Australia thrice each before losing the final against India. This was South Africa’s second defeat in Test cricket since readmission, and their first since April 1992.
India were undergoing a transition at this point. Sachin Tendulkar had replaced Mohammad Azharuddin as captain after the tour of England earlier that year. On the same tour, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, and Venkatesh Prasad had all impressed. Here, in the first Test match, in Ahmedabad, India fielded another debutant, in V.V.S. Laxman.
Allan Donald, Player of the Tournament in the Titan Cup earlier in the month, picked up in Ahmedabad from where he had left things. He took 4-37 as India were bowled out for 223, though the two biggest blows probably came from Jonty Rhodes, who caught Tendulkar and ran out Azhar in spectacular fashion.
Reduced to 119/7, South Africa found unexpected an unexpected hero in Fanie de Villiers, who scored 67 not out from No. 9, squeezing out a lead of 21 for South Africa. India were then reduced to 124/7 when, not for the last time in his career, Laxman (51) took charge, helping India reach 190.
South Africa needed only 171, but were demolished by Javagal Srinath (6-21), who took wickets with consecutive balls on three separate occasions in the same innings. With Anil Kumble also taking 3-34, South Africa collapsed to 105.
South Africa avenged their defeat in emphatic fashion in front of a packed Eden Gardens. Gary Kirsten (102 and 133) became the third South African to score two hundreds in a Test match, while Andrew Hudson and Daryll Cullinan also got hundreds. South Africa won by 328 runs, and yet – the margin could have been even more colossal.
After piling up 428, South Africa reduced India to 161/7. Then Azhar, having retired the previous evening after copping a blow on the elbow, emerged to slam a hundred in 74 balls, at that point the fourth-quickest in history. He did not acknowledge the tumultuous applause: only a few months earlier, he had been booed after India’s defeat in the World Cup semi-final at the same venue.
At receiving end was debutant Lance Klusener, whom Azharuddin hit for five fours in an over. However, with 467 to defend, Klusener picked up 8-64 in the fourth innings to bowl out India for 137, though not before Azhar slogged his way to a fifty.
Azhar emerged in a different avatar in the third Test match. If the 109 and 52 in Calcutta were exhibitions of outrageous strokeplay, often bordering on arrogance, his hundred on a deteriorating Kanpur pitch here was a masterpiece.
India managed a lead of 60 despite being bowled out for only 237, but were far from safe. Batting at six, Azhar carved out 163 not out in only 229 balls to help Tendulkar set South Africa 461 in ten hours. They collapsed to 180 against Srinath (3-38) and Sunil Joshi (3-66).
1st Test: India 223 and 190 beat South Africa 244 and 105 by 64 runs. Player of the Match: Javagal Srinath.
2nd Test: South Africa 428 and 367/3 decl. beat India 329 and 137 by 329 runs. Player of the Match: Gary Kirsten.
3rd Test: India 237 and 400/7 decl. beat South Africa 177 and 180 by 280 runs. Player of the Match: Mohammad Azharuddin.
India won the series 2-1. Player of the Series: Mohammad Azharuddin.
India won the one-off ODI by 74 runs. Player of the Match: Sachin Tendulkar.
India won the three-nation Titan Cup. Player of the Tournament: Allan Donald.