5 reasons we can't wait for the India-South Africa series

Earlier this week, it was announced that all series between India and South Africa would henceforth be called the Mahatma Gandhi – Nelson Mandela series. The trophy would be called ‘the Freedom Trophy’, and the series would strengthen ties between the two countries by upholding the ideals of both the great men.But if cricket fans are supposed to expect a peaceful and non-eventful series, they could hardly be more mistaken.India and South Africa are two of cricket’s heavyweights. India are champions at home; their last home ODI series loss came in 2013 and their last Test series loss even earlier, in 2012. India hasn’t lost more than two ODIs in a home series since 2009, and they haven’t lost more than two Tests in a home series since 1984.On the other hand is South Africa, the No. 1 Test team in the world. Their record in their last 20 Test series is 11 Won, 2 Lost and 7 Drawn. It’s needless to say that no other team has a better record. They have two players in the Top 10 ICC rankings in both the batting and bowling departments. They are cricket’s juggernauts.Both teams have returned to the subcontinent after a while, and they have had diverse experiences. While Virat Kohli led a young team to victory in Sri Lanka, the experienced South African squad was defeated by the Bangladesh team.As India and South Africa gear up to meet in a high-octane series, here are five reasons the fans can’t wait for it to start:

#1 ICC rankings

The ICC Test Championship Mace goes to the No. 1 Test team of the year

The ICC rankings are something that’s on everyone’s mind, even if we all act like it’s no big deal. India’s horror Test run that started from 2011 was finally broken last month with a 2-1 series victory over Sri Lanka, but it still didn’t help the team rise from 5th place in the ICC Test rankings – their all-time lowest.

On the other hand, South Africa is sitting pretty on top of the table with a huge lead over second-placed Australia. With only six points separating India and Australia, Kohil’s men will hope for another inspired performance to take them to second place, which they last achieved in 2011.

South Africa, however, are aiming to further extend their lead over the other teams in the running. Currently, they stand at 125 points, a whopping 19 points ahead of Australia. The Proteas will look to maintain the top spot and receive the ICC Test Championship Mace, the trophy for the No. 1 ranked Test team every year.

With Australia being defeated by England, and South Africa now facing a relatively inexperienced Indian squad, it is their best chance to reinforce their stranglehold on the rankings table.

Similarly, India and South Africa stand at No. 2 and 3 respectively in the ICC ODI rankings, with only 5 points separating them. Both teams will look to improve their ratings and try to catch up with No. 1 ranked Australia, who are in top form.

As the 72-day tour pans out, it will be no surprise if we see a completely different ranking table after two of the strongest teams duel it out in the toughest conditions possible.

#2 South African bowlers vs Indian batsmen

Virat Kohli vs Dale Steyn will be one of the match-ups to look forward to

Among all teams in the last eight years, India has the best Win/Loss ratio at home. They have won 22 matches, lost just 4 and drawn 11 out of the 35 they have played since September 2007. India’s W/L ratio of 5.5 is miles ahead of Australia at 3.5. India also have the second best rate of scoring, with 3.57 runs per over, second to Australia’s 3.61.

Win/Loss Ratio at home in Tests over the last 8 years

Team	Matches	Won	Lost	Draw	W/L Ratio
India	37	22	4	11	5.5
Australia	43	28	8	7	3.5
England	54	31	11	12	2.8
South Africa	35	21	9	5	2.3
Sri Lanka	39	16	10	13	1.6
New Zealand	32	11	8	13	1.375

India is clearly ahead at home, where they are almost unbeatable. Their batsmen have quickly adapted to the hot and humid conditions, which the opposition often falls prey to. The dusty, spinning tracks are perfect for Indian spinners, and South Africa will have to quickly assess the situation and play to their strengths.

The Proteas will be looking at their frontline bowlers, Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander, to provide timely breakthroughs. While this is Philander’s first tour to the subcontinent, Steyn has already reaped success in his previous tours. He has 26 wickets from 5 Tests in the subcontinent, with a best of 7/51.

Steyn’s average of 20.23 in India is his second best ever, under a criterion of minimum 4 matches played. Meanwhile, memories of Philander bowling exceptionally against India in South Africa, taking 10 wickets in 2 tests at an average of 22.80, are still fresh in everyone’s minds.

In India’s batting line-up, Murali Vijay and KL Rahul are the likely candidates to open the batting. While Vijay, nicknamed ‘Monk’ for his serene presence in the middle, has proved himself a handy batsman, Rahul is still blowing hot and cold.

With Pujara pushing for a return and the solid middle order of Kohli, Rahane and Rohit, the South African bowlers will have a hard time in the middle. It should be a mouth-watering clash as two of the best bowlers in the world try to knock over the Indian batsmen, who are best in the world at home.

#3 Test of spin

Ashwin or Tahir: Who will spin his team to victory?

South Africa’s batting line-up is arguably the best in the world. Dean Elgar and Stiaan Van Zyl have both impressed in recent times with their ability to neutralize the threat of the new ball.

The middle order is as solid as ever with Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis and AB De Villiers. Each of these batsmen has proved that they can bat according to the situation – whether it is to play a long innings or to change gears and speed it along. Along with Quinton De Kock and JP Duminy, South Africa has a powerhouse line-up which is just raring to go.

On the other hand, the Indian spinners have finally begun to work as a unit. In the recent tour to Sri Lanka, both Ravichandran Ashwin and Amit Mishra picked up key scalps and were instrumental in curbing the run rate. While Mishra got good drift and turn, Ashwin was spectacular as he consistently hit the right lengths and troubled the batsman. He finished as the highest wicket-taker in the series.

Ashwin also has a terrific record at home, with 95 wickets in 15 matches – easily the most by an Indian in recent times. He has improved his bowling tremendously, especially to the left-handed batsmen. With at least 5 left-handers in South Africa’s batting line-up, it will be a good test to see how far he has really come.

It will also be interesting to see who the third spinner for India will be. While Harbhajan wasn’t very impressive in his recent comeback, Akshar Patel ran through South Africa A with brilliant figures of 4-0 for India A. If Akshar is indeed picked, Kohli will have trouble deciding if he wants 2 or 3 spinners in the team.

South Africa’s batsmen have proved their worth against quality pace, but they will look to show their improvement against the spinners. Though they barely won an away series in Sri Lanka last year, they will still want to go up against the Indian spinners in their backyard.

India themselves will be tested by Imran Tahir and Simon Harmer, who will look to make the most of the conditions. As the tour goes on, it is entirely possible that the team with better players of spin will be the last one standing.

#4 Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers

Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers - Two of cricket’s modern-day greats

If there are two players who have consistently been a thorn in India’s side, it has to be the duo of Amla and AB. While Amla uses exquisite wrist-work and precise foot movement to caress and ease balls to the boundary, De Villiers specializes in clearing the front leg and dispatching the ball to all sides of the ground.

If Amla can take the game away from you in one session, De Villiers can do it one hour. While Amla has led South Africa to victory in 68 matches in which he has scored 50 runs or above, De Villiers has done it in 85 matches. If India harbours any hope of beating the Proteas, they need to address this twin threat first.

Amla and De Villiers’ contribution in winning causes

Player	Matches won while scoring 50 runs or above	Runs	Average	Highest
Hashim Amla	68	6976	124.57	311*
AB de Villiers	85	8006	138.03	217*

Amla is no stranger to the subcontinent, with 1,192 runs in 13 international matches at an average of 79.46. It is easily his best average in any country, and he has a highest score of 253* in India, with 5 centuries.

Amla is an excellent player of spin, and can advance down the wicket to meet the ball or wait back in the crease and play it late. His precise footwork and quick wrists enable him to play pace bowling well, and he keeps a steady head while driving on the up. With Amla in the top order, South Africa will be sure of having a good start on the board.

On the other side is De Villiers. If bowling to Amla is tough, bowling to AB is nearly impossible. Bowl it short, he crunches it through the square leg region. Bowl it full and he smashes it down the ground. De Villiers makes sure each ball hits nowhere but the middle of the bat, and places it in the gaps with the precision of a surgeon.

De Villiers can play a slow innings as easily as he can go berserk, proof being his marathon 33 off 220 balls while saving the Test against Australia. But once he gets his eye in, he plays like a demon, hitting the ball with unbelievable power to places that some batsmen can only dream of hitting.

De Villiers and Amla will certainly be crowd favourites as India look to dethrone the champions at home. These are two of the most loved players in the cricketing world, and it will be a terrific clash as the Indian bowlers try to outsmart the two cricketing geniuses and South Africa look to secure yet another overseas win.

#5 Return of Test matches to the sub-continent

After 6 series away, Test cricket finally returns to India

India has played 6 consecutive series away from home, which is the highest ever in their history. The previous highest was 4 series between 2006 and 2008. With a total of 12 matches – 3 T20Is, 5 ODIs and 4 Tests, cricket in India is back with a bang.

Indian crowds will breathe a sigh of relief as they can swarm to the grounds and support their heroes in person. The days of waking up early in the morning and sticking to the TV till late at night are finally over as the game makes its grand resurgence in India.

With matches scheduled at grounds like Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore, the fan support is sure to be enormous; the Blue Army will travel in hordes to support their team. Indore will also see a return to international cricket as it will host an ODI after a gap of 4 long years.

After watching the Indians play on seaming wickets with awkward bounce, it will be a welcome relief to watch them back in familiar surroundings on spinning wickets. The four Tests will be held at Mohali, Bangalore, Nagpur and Delhi, which will surely be crowd-pullers.

With the last Test series in India in 2013 being centred on Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement, and both Tests finishing inside 3 days, the Indian crowd had very little to cheer about in terms of the actual cricket. But with the emergence of the new-look Indian team taking on the best team in the world, the focus is back on the game.

The crowds will wait with bated breath to watch Dale Steyn bowl to Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin try to put the Proteas in a spin. They will cheer for the Indians at the top of their voices, but will respect their opponents as they always do. AB De Villiers will sweep the crowd off their feet, and the South African newbies will look to leave a mark in the subcontinent.

At the end of the day, irrespective of the winner, Test cricket in the subcontinent is always something to be cheered about. Cricket and passion are two things that go hand in hand in India, and it’s all a part of the big extravaganza.