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.