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South Africa is considered arguably the toughest country for any side to tour, particularly for teams from the sub-continent. India’s poor record in the Rainbow Nation is a case in point. They have played 24 Test matches in South Africa, winning only four and losing 13, while seven matches have ended in a draw.
India’s latest Test defeat came in the Boxing Day Test in Centurion on Thursday, December 28 as they succumbed to an innings and 32-run loss in three days. Batting first, they posted 245 on the board to which South Africa replied with 408. India managed only 131 in the second innings in 34.1 overs.
India will have to dig deep to make a strong comeback in the New Year Test at Newlands in Cape Town. In the wake of the visitors’ batting collapse, it will be an interesting exercise to look back at how some of India's top batters fared in their first Test in South Africa over the years.
India batters and stats from their first Test in South Africa
Virat Kohli, who scored a half-century in the second innings of the Centurion, performed brilliantly in his maiden Test in South Africa. He scored 119 and 96 in Johannesburg in December 2013.
Former India opener Virender Sehwag made his Test debut in South Africa in Bloemfontein in 2001. It was a memorable first Test for him as he smashed 105 and 31.
Sachin Tendulkar did not have a very good time in his first Test in the Proteas nation. He was out for 11 in the only innings he batted in Durban in November 1992. If we look at Gautam Gambhir’s performance in his first Test in South Africa, he scored 5 in the first innings in Centurion in December 2010 but followed it up with 80 in the second essay.
Most of the other batters, including current skipper Rohit Sharma, struggled in their first Test in South Africa. Rohit was dismissed for 14 and 6 in Johannesburg in December 2013.
Among others, Ajinkya Rahane scored 47 and 15 in Johannesburg (December 2013), Rahul Dravid scored 7 and 27* in Durban (December 1996), VVS Laxman 5 and 25* in Cape Town (January 1997), Cheteshwar Pujara 19 and 10 in Durban (December 20100 and MS Dhoni 5 and 18 in Johannesburg (December 2006).
