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4 Indians who made an impressive Test debut against South Africa

Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag

India and South Africa are currently preparing for the three-Test series that begins in Visakhapatnam from 2 October. This will be followed by the second Test in Pune from 10 October and the third Test in Ranchi from 19 October.

India and South Africa have so far played each other in 36 Tests (from 1992 to 2018). The Proteas are slightly ahead in the head-to-head race, with 15 wins, while India have 11. Further, in 16 matches played at home, India have won 8 and lost 5, with three matches ending in a draw.

Their away record is very poor. Team India have played 20 matches in South Africa, out of which they have won only three and lost as many as 10, while seven matches have ended in a stalemate.

Over the years, a number of Indians have made their Test debut against South Africa, and a few of them have produced memorable performances.

As India get set to lock horns with the Proteas yet again, we take a look back at four impressive performances by Indians on Test debut against South Africa.

#4 Pravin Amre

Pravin Amre
Pravin Amre

Pravin Amre, another protégé of renowned coach Ramakant Achrekar, made a famous debut at Durban - renowned as one of the quickest pitches in the world - during the first Test (November 13-17) of India’s tour in 1992.

South Africa batted first and posted 254 on the board, courtesy skipper Kepler Wessels’ 118. For India, Kapil Dev claimed four wickets while Manoj Prabhakar, Anil Kumble and Ravi Shastri chipped in with two wickets each.

In response, India soon found themselves in big trouble at 38 for 4 and were in danger of being bowled out cheaply. But Amre, coming in at number six, then played what is considered one of the finest innings by an Indian away from home.

Standing up to an attack comprising Allan Donald, Brett Schultz and Brian McMillan, Amre hit 103 from 299 balls, a knock which featured 11 hits to the fence. By the time he was dismissed, India were only seven short of South Africa’s total.

Amre was declared man of the match in the drawn Test.

Also see - India vs South Africa schedule 2019

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