On Thursday, January 4th, India's captain, Rohit Sharma, achieved a remarkable feat, following in the footsteps of MS Dhoni. Rohit became only the second captain in the history of Indian Test cricket to secure a series draw in South Africa.
After a crushing defeat in the first Test match held in Centurion, India made a stunning comeback, triumphing over South Africa on a treacherous Cape Town pitch. The Indian bowlers displayed exceptional skill in the second Test match, effectively dismissing South Africa for a mere 55 runs in the first innings. The South African team was bowled out within the first session on Day 1, thanks to the outstanding performance of Mohammed Siraj, who tore through the Dean Elgar side. India took to the field after lunch and appeared to be in a strong position at 153/4. However, in a dramatic turn of events, India suffered a sudden collapse, losing their last 6 wickets without adding a single run to the scoreboard, resulting in their dismissal for the same score.
In the second innings, South Africa batted for nearly 37 overs and accumulated a total of 106 runs. Aiden Markram's exceptional innings of 196 runs played a significant role. On the other hand, India wasted no time in their pursuit of 79 runs, swiftly concluding the game within 12 overs while still having 7 wickets in hand.
Consequently, Sharma managed to secure a draw in his inaugural series as the captain of the Test side in South Africa.
Here's the list of series results for India in South Africa.
Mohammad Azharuddin - 1992/93 (Loss)
Sachin Tendulkar - 1996/97 (Loss)
Sourav Ganguly - 2001/02 (Loss)
Rahul Dravid - 2006/07 (Loss)
MS Dhoni - 2010/11 (Draw)
MS Dhoni - 2013/14 (Loss)
Virat Kohli - 2017/18 (Loss)
Virat Kohli/ KL Rahul - 2021/22 (Loss)
Rohit Sharma - 2023/24 (Draw)
The victory against South Africa marked a significant milestone for India as they put an end to their unfortunate streak of five consecutive Test match losses against SENA countries on foreign soil. This losing streak commenced during the 2021/22 season when India suffered defeats in two matches against South Africa, followed by one loss each against England and Australia in the WTC Final. The fifth Test match loss occurred in the opening match of the current series against South Africa in Centurion.
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