Milestones that may be broken during the India-South Africa Test Series

With the 4-match Test series between India and South Africa all set to get underway in Mohali on 5 November 2015, all eyes will be on some milestones which are on the horizon for players from both teams.While achieving a few of them almost look like a certainty for the respective players, the others may require a superlative effort.Here we take a look at what’s in store in this series in terms of milestones:

#1 8000 Test runs for AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers is on course to become the fastest South African to 8000 runs

With 7606 Test runs against his name prior to the start of the series against India, AB de Villiers is close to reaching the 8000-run milestone. However, he will need to have a more than decent series in order to get there.

But two factors make that likely. First is the fact that we are talking about arguably the greatest batsman in world cricket today and secondly, it is the fact that he loves the Indian bowling attack. So, we can surely bank on ABD to achieve this milestone.

#2 Dale Steyn surpassing Shaun Pollock as South Africa\'s highest wicket taker

Dale Steyn is due to become South Africa’s highest wicket-taker in Tests

Dale Steyn has been one of the greatest fast bowlers South Africa has ever produced and is up there with the likes of Pollock, Donald and Ntini. At present, Steyn is just 19 short of Shaun Pollock’s record tally of 421 wickets for his country.

Even though he has not been at his best of late, he is one man you can never count out. The South African was among the wickets in the recently concluded ODI series and a good series for him may propel him to the top of the list of leading wicket-takers for the Proteas in Tests.

#3 7000 Test runs for Hashim Amla

Amla has a chance to become the fastest South African to 7000 Test runs

The bearded South African genius seems to be in a hurry to get all possible milestones under his belt in both Tests and ODIs. Having scored 6770 runs from 142 Test innings, Hashim Amla is more than likely to reach 7000-run milestone in the upcoming series against India unless he has a total debacle.

What’s more is that he could become the fastest Proteas batsman to get there, the current fastest being Graeme Smith who did it in 148 innings. So will Amla have another record in the bag?

#4 3000 Test runs for Virat Kohli

A decent performance from the Indian skipper in this series should easily get him to 3000 runs

New Indian skipper Virat Kohli is just 206 runs short of scaling the 3000-run peak in Test matches and it does not look too difficult a task for him unless things go badly wrong.

Achieving this milestone should set him on the path to chasing even bigger feats and becoming one of the best the cricketing world has ever seen. While he has certainly achieved that in ODIs, he has so far failed to live up his own high standards in tests.

#5 Ravichandran Ashwin becoming the fastest Indian to 150 wickets

Ashwin could break the great Erapalli Prasanna’s Indian record for being the fastest to 150 wickets

The leader of India’s present spin attack, Ravichandran Ashwin, was looking out of the scheme of things for at least the first two Tests. However, the air was somewhat cleared by Ashwin himself when he went on declare last week that he is fit to play.

The Tamil Nadu offie has 145 wickets in 28 Tests and is just 5 short of 150 wickets. There is little doubt about him achieving the feat, but the question is whether he will be able to get there quicker than the legendary Erapalli Prasanna, who is the fastest Indian to get 150 wickets in 34 matches. Considering the fact that India are playing at home, Ashwin looks strong to achieve this record as well and hopefully, he should do it in the 1st Test itself.

#6 50 Test wickets for Imran Tahir and Umesh Yadaav

Imran Tahir and Umesh Yadaav are both nearing the 50-wicket milestone

A South African spinner and an Indian pacer are both on the verge of getting to 50 wickets in Test matches – Imran Tahir with 43 and Umesh Yadaav with 48. They are both likely to achieve the milestone but could hit a few roadblocks.

While Imran Tahir could falter if he is unable to adapt to Indian conditions in Tests, Yadaav’s completion of the milestone solely depends on whether he is picked in the final XI or not. We will hope for the best for these two young and talented bowlers.

#7 Steyn becoming the first overseas bowler to take 100 wickets in the sub-continent

Steyn is the most successful overseas bowler in the sub-continent

South Africa’s premier fast bowler Dale Steyn has many records to his name, but one of the least known among them is that he is the most successful overseas bowler in the sub-continent in terms of wickets with 90 scalps. In second place is the retired West Indian legend Courtney Walsh with 77 wickets.

Even if he bowls decently in the upcoming Test series against India, he can achieve a rare feat of becoming the first overseas bowler to claim 100 wickets in the Indian sub-continent. Now that is a record he can be really proud of.

#8 South Africa breaching the Delhi fortress

No one beats India in Tests at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in New Delhi

Calling the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in New Delhi a happy hunting ground for Team India in Tests is an understatement. The truth is that it is a fortress which many opposition teams have tried to breach but have met with failure.

The last time it happened was in 1987 and it was the then mighty West Indies team who did it. 28 years since then and India have never lost a Test at this ground. The final Test of the India-South Africa series will be played at Delhi and it will provide the South African team with a golden opportunity to achieve the rare feat of beating India at their fortress. The icing on the cake for them would be if the Kotla Test turns out to be a decider for the Gandhi-Mandela Trophy.