4 biggest controversies from the India-South Africa rivalry

As we are nearing the end of a long 72-day South African tour of India, let’s take a look at some of the biggest controversies from the past that have flared when these two teams have met.When two nations as proud and cricket crazy as these battle for pride, controversies and banter are inevitable. The two nations have had an eventful history of clashes, with incidents ranging from corruption, ball tampering and even unwarranted involvement from the fans.

#1 2000 - Corruption, Cricket and Cronje

In the year 2000, former South Africa captain Hansie Cronje was involved in a controversy that handed him a life ban. His phones were tapped by Delhi Police and it was reported that Cronje was involved in fixing and he had taken money to under perform in the recent ODI series.

After this incident, Herschelle Gibbs and Nicky Boje refused to visit Indian shores until 2007. The entire story had a very tragic ending, when Cronje was killed in a plane crash in 2002. Cronje’s name, although still venerated by some in South Africa, has become synonymous with all that’s dark about the sport of cricket.

#2 2001 - Excessive appealing and ball tampering

When you talk about controversies, this incident raised a lot furore because of the players linked with it, and the number of them incriminated. The fifth and final day of the 2^nd Test match in 2001 was an eventful affair, maybe even overly so.

As many as six Indian players were charged by match referee Mike Denness. Six of them, including Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly, Deep Dasgupta and Shiv Sunder Das, were suspended for one match due to excessive appealing. Sachin Tendulkar was accused of ball tampering and was handed a one-Test ban.

There was a huge outrage in India as protestors burned effigies of Denness. The BCCI threatened to boycott the third Test of the series unless Denness was replaced as the match referee. Consequently, Denness was sacked for the next Test and India agreed to take the field. Denness was not even allowed to enter the stadium, as a result. However, ICC disagreed to consider the match as an ‘official’ test match and later it was termed as a ‘friendly’ five-day game.

#3 2005 - Sourav Ganguly dropped, Greg Chappell shows the middle finger to fans

In the year 2005, prior to the India vs South Africa series, Sourav Ganguly was dropped from the ODI squad after his poor performances in the previous matches.

This move was criticised by many cricket pundits and fans across India. Ganguly blamed coach Greg Chappell for his exclusion. After this, the crowd started booing Chappell.

Chappell worsened things as he pointed his middle finger to the tormenting Eden Gardens crowd. The crowd started supporting the Africans and celebrated their win. This was a disgraceful moment in Indian Cricket history.

#4 2008 - India saves the series, but diminishes reputation

After a humiliating defeat in the previous Test, India aimed to draw the series. A dust bowl prepared specially for the Indians ensured that they won the last game. The move backfired initially but it was again Dada who saved the match with his fighting knock. Virender Sehwag took 3 wickets for 12 runs as India won the match by eight wickets.

After the match, refree Roshan Mahanama wrote to ICC complaining about the dryness of the pitch and assistance to spinners. He said that the pitch did not suit Test match standards. The deliveries turned sharply and kept low. The ICC punished BCCI for preparing an unfinished track. This came as a big insult for the BCCI.