By 2017/18, India and South Africa were contesting for the Freedom Trophy in Test cricket, a series dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. The entire tour of India in South Africa comprised three Tests, six ODIs and three T20Is.
India had humiliated South Africa 3-0 on rank-turners at home in the Tests in 2015/16. It was South Africa’s turn to repay the favours with green and bouncy tracks. But India, the top-ranked Test side, were up for the challenge and had fast-tracked Jasprit Bumrah in the red-ball format.
A white-ball specialist, Bumrah’s selection raised several eyebrows since he had not played a First-class match that season. Importantly, captain Virat Kohli, head coach Ravi Shastri, and bowling coach Bharat Arun thought otherwise. Arun had already begun his mission in lining up a formidable pace attack to mirror the West Indies of the 1980s, and the think-tank knew Bumrah would play a critical role in that.
India did not play a practice game. And not for the first time, their batters fell prey to quality pacers. Before that, their bowlers had done reasonably well to restrict the hosts to 286 in the first innings of the Cape Town Test.
South Africa were 12/3 at one stage before A.B. de Villiers (65) counterattacked and added 114 for the fourth wicket with his captain and close friend Faf du Plessis (62). The A.B.-blitz was put to an end by Bumrah, who could not have hoped for a better maiden Test scalp.
India were then up against one of the greatest pace attacks in the game’s history – a line-up so formidable that Kagiso Rabada was merely the fourth bowler. The other three names read Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. India were reduced to 92/7 at one stage before Hardik Pandya’s counterattacking 95-ball 92 helped them to 209.
The Indian pacers, led by Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, then folded South Africa for 130 in the second innings. India had to score a run fewer than their first-innings total to pull off a rare Test win in South Africa. There was hope, for South Africa had lost Steyn due to an injury and was ruled out of the series.
But Philander (6-42) rose to the challenge to guide South Africa to a 1-0 lead. India were 82/7 at one stage before R. Ashwin offered resistance with a 53-ball 37, but it was not enough. Despite a washout on Day 3, the match ended on the fourth day, when 18 wickets fell.
The other big talking point of the Cape Town Test was the axing of Indian vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, who had lost form during the home season in India. Banking on Rohit Sharma’s sublime form, the team management opted for him, and he got 11 and 10 in the Test.
Rahane sat out at Centurion as well. But what surprised more was the axing of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, one of India’s best players (six wickets and 38 runs) in Cape Town, in favour of Ishant Sharma.
South Africa elected to bat again and looked in a strong position, with Aiden Markram (94), Hashim Amla (82) and du Plessis (63) breaching the fifty marks. Led by Ashwin (4-113) and Ishant (3-46), India restricted South Africa to 335.
Resisting the strong South African pace attack, Kohli (153) crafted one of the finest knocks in his career, scoring more than 50% of his team’s runs as wickets fell like ninepins from the other end. M. Vijay (46) and Ashwin (38) were the only others who showed some resistance in India’s 307.
India then had South Africa on the mat at 3/2, but once again, de Villiers (80) and du Plessis (48) came to rescue. Bumrah (3-70) and Shami (4-49) ensured India would need 287 to level the series.
India now found a new nemesis in debutant Lungi Ngidi, who picked 6-39 as India suffered a 135-run defeat to concede the series. Rohit struck an attacking 47 in the second innings, an effort not good enough to help him retain his spot for the Johannesburg Test.
Rahane and Bhuvneshwar made their way back into the India XI in place of Rohit and Ashwin on a surface that the ICC later rated ‘poor’.
India made a brave move by electing to bat on the dangerous surface. Cheteshwar Pujara, who earned the dubious distinction of becoming the first Indian to get run out twice in the previous Test, crawled to a defiant fifty in almost four and a half hours. Meanwhile, Kohli top-scored with 54, and Bhuvneshwar’s late 30 took India to 187.
Bumrah picked his maiden five-for in Test cricket to restrict South Africa’s lead to only seven, Amla top-scoring with 61. Survival seemed a challenge on that surface as Indian batters dealt with a hostile pace attack that bounced without hesitation. Kohli (41) and Rahane (48) set the tone before lower-order efforts from Bhuvneshwar (33), and Shami (27) raised the target to 241.
Markram fell in the second over before Dean Elgar (86*) and Amla held the fort for over four hours. The duo copped multiple physical blows and added 119 for the second wicket, threatening to make it 3-0. But Amla's wicket, off Ishant, was the opening India needed. Bumrah got de Villiers, and Shami (5-28) ran through the rest as South Africa lost nine wickets for 53 runs to fold for 177.
Bhuvneshwar was awarded the Player of the Match for his 63 runs and four wickets. For the first time in the sport’s history, a three-match Test series saw all 120 wickets fall.
India had beaten South Africa in their own game of pace on a green track. One of the finest wins for India, the Test match can be marked as the beginning of Indian pacers’ dominance in the sport that made them a fearsome force over the years to come.
Men in Blue rule the limited-overs
The South African batters were not at ease against Kuldeep Yadav’s (3-34) left-arm wrist spin at Durban, but du Plessis stood up against the challenge and blazed away to a brilliant 112-ball 120. India chased down 270 with 27 balls to spare, courtesy of a 189-run stand between Kohli (112) and Rahane (79).
With de Villiers already nursing a finger injury, the South Africans received another blow after du Plessis was ruled out of the limited-overs leg after suffering a finger injury in Durban. Two-ODI-old Markram was named the captain.
The second ODI at Centurion saw South Africans slump to the Indian wrist-spinners. Yuzvendra Chahal got his maiden ODI five-for (5-22), and Kuldeep contributed with a three-wicket haul to bowl out South Africa for 118, their lowest total at home. India finished a comfortable nine-wicket win to go up 2-0.
At Cape Town, India lost Rohit in the first over, but Shikhar Dhawan’s 63-ball 76 gave India a robust platform. Coming to bat in the second over, Kohli battled pace, bounce and cramps to bat to play the longest ODI innings of his career, batting 159 balls and remaining not out. There was hardly any support from the middle-order as Kohli ran for 100 of his 160 runs. His splendid effort saw India reach 303 before Kuldeep and Chahal ran through the hosts with four wickets each to restrict South Africa to 179.
South Africa returned strongly in the fourth ODI at Johannesburg. Dhawan (109) and Kohli (75) powered India to 289 before rain revised South Africa’s target to 202 off 28 overs. The Indian spinners found the wet ball challenging to grip as Heinrich Klaasen (43* off 27) and Andile Phehlukwayo (23* off 5) kept the South African hopes for the series alive. Earlier, de Villiers marked his return with an 18-ball 26.
At Port Elizabeth, Rohit put a string of failures behind and crafted a century to guide India to 4-1, ensuring their first ODI series win in South Africa. Once again, Kuldeep-Chahal paired to get six wickets.
India’s hunger to win was far from over. They found a new hero in Shardul Thakur (4-52) in the final ODI, at Centurion. Chasing 206 was not going to be a challenge for the strong Indian line-up, but the match’s highlight was Kohli’s brutal avatar. He blazed to an unbeaten 129 off 96 balls to take India to 5-1.
Suresh Raina returned to the Indian T20I line-up after a year. Despite being in the form of his life, Kohli was happy to drop a place down in the batting order to accommodate his senior teammate, one of India’s most celebrated T20 stars.
Dhawan’s 39-ball 72 powered India to 203 against a new-look South African outfit led by J.P. Duminy. Reeza Hendricks (70 in 50 balls) kept the South Africans in the hunt before a five-wicket haul from Bhuvneshwar ensured a 28-run win for India at Johannesburg.
At Centurion, Manish Pandey (79* off 48) and M.S. Dhoni (52* off 28) shared an unbeaten fifth-wicket stand of 98 in 56 balls to guide India to 188. Duminy (64* off 40) and Klaasen (69 off 30) bettered their effort to level the series 1-1.
India then clinched a thriller at Cape Town to seal the series. Dhawan (47 off 40) and Raina (43 off 27) took India to 172 before their bowlers left South Africa to do some catching up act. Duminy got a fine fifty, and 31-year-old debutant Christiaan Jonker blasted a 24-ball 49 to take the match deep. Bhuvneshwar’s (2-24) variations made the difference in the end as India pulled a seven-run win. Had South Africans fielded better, the result could have gone their way.
Overall, the Indians returned as a happier outfit. They were in the hunt to win all the Tests, and they dominated like never before in the white-ball leg of the tour.
1st Test: South Africa 286 and 130 beat India 209 and 135 by 72 runs. Player of the Match: Vernon Philander.
2nd Test: South Africa 355 and 258 beat India 307 and 151 by 135 runs. Player of the Match: Lungi Ngidi.
3rd Test: India 187 and 247 beat South Africa 194 and 177 by 63 runs. Player of the Match: Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
South Africa won the Test series 2-1. Player of the Series: Vernon Philander.
India won the ODI series 5-1. Player of the Series: Virat Kohli.
India won the T20I series 2-1. Player of the Series: Bhuvneshwar Kumar.