India vs South Africa Test history: 5 Men who've achieved a 10 wicket-haul in the iconic fixture
With the introduction of the ICC Test Championship, the zeal surrounding the longer format of the game has reached an all-new level. The recently-concluded Ashes series gave the cricket enthusiasts a lot to cheer about as England and Australia battled in one of the most pulsating Test series of all-time. The next mega-series in line is India versus South Africa and it won't be a far-fetched thought to say that the series will play a key role in the Test Championship rankings.
With the Test series just around the corner, avid fans of the game must have been pondering over the stats game between the two sides. When going over the Test stats between the two supreme cricketing nations, one interesting stat to study is the number of 10-wicket hauls, simply because only a handful of men have ever claimed 10 wickets in a match.
Taking 10-wickets in a match is no easy task simply because it demands sheer focus, grit and consistency to be able to bowl at the highest level across a 5-day Test match. Talking about India against South Africa in Test cricket, only 5 men have ever achieved a 10-wicket haul in this iconic fixture and here we list them down:
#1 Allan Donald at Port Elizabeth, 1992- 12/139(5/55 & 7/84)
In 1992, India under the leadership of Kapil Dev travelled to South Africa for a 4-match Test series. The Indian side did put a valiant effort in South Africa but were denied the victory as the series concluded 1-0 in favour of the Proteas. The fact that three matches ended in a draw underlines how evenly matched the sides were, but one man turned out to be in the difference in the remaining one fixture and that man was Allan Donald.
The legendary South African pacer ripped apart the Indian batting order at Port Elizabeth as he captured a total of 12 wickets in the match. His performance in the first innings was instrumental in restricting India for just 212 runs. But the visitors, with determination and ambition, came back stronger and dismissed South Africa for 275 to give themselves a chance in the match.
Ardent fans of South African cricket had all their hopes on Donald to replicate his first innings form and the prolific pacer didn't disappoint as he removed seven batsmen, as India wrapped up their innings for 215 runs. The Proteas went on to win the match and the series.
Also see – World Test Championship points table