South Africa enter India not afraid of the turning track as India trade raging turners for much truer surfaces.
South Africa return to India without fear of the Turnado.
As they aim to win their first Test in 15 years and possibly even a first series in 25, South Africa believes that India’s turnado years are over. South Africa anticipates a more balanced match as India redefines home advantage following last year’s 3-0 home loss to New Zealand, in contrast to their tours in 2015 and 2019, when pitches collapsed at the sight of a cricket ball.
“I don’t think it will be as spin-friendly as we experienced in Pakistan,” Keshav Maharaj, South Africa’s first-choice left-arm spinner said from Kolkata. “I think it will be good wickets that deteriorate as the game goes on. If you watched a bit of the West Indies series, it went to day four and five. The narrative is changing in terms of getting wickets. You want to give yourself the best chance when you’re in home conditions, so maybe it’s felt that let’s play on good cricket wickets and let the game deteriorate as it goes on.”
The seamers in South Africa will be happy to learn that reverse swing is expected in the Eden Gardens. Despite India scoring over 500 in their first innings and the West Indies over 400 in their second, the Delhi Test went to a fifth day, and the West Indies series provides empirical evidence.
The ghosts of the last two series will undoubtedly resurface, therefore South Africa’s hitters will be the happiest. In 2015, South Africa, the world’s top team at the time and on a nine-year winning streak away from home, were bowled out for less than 200 in four Test matches, with the exception of one rained-out tie.
Now that they are back at the top, South Africa feels better prepared to handle spin-friendly conditions, particularly when it comes to batting. They have won (Bangladesh 2024) and shared a series (Pakistan 2025) in other parts of the subcontinent.
Only Tony de Zorzi got a century in Pakistan, but Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, and even Kagiso Rabada all scored fifty. Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne, Wiaan Mulder, and de Zorzi all hit three figures in Bangladesh. With the exception of Rabada, every player on this tour is aware of what it takes to succeed in unfamiliar circumstances, even though they will be playing Tests in India for the first time.
From being on the ropes at home against Pakistan and Sri Lanka last year to sweeping the summer and making it to the WTC final and then rallying against Australia at Lord’s to win the mace, they have also demonstrated an ability to adjust to shifting circumstances. In a new cycle with more difficult assignments than the last, South Africa hopes to capitalise on that success. This India series is what they consider to be the most difficult.
South Africa’s first Test series triumph occurred in 2000, while their most recent Test success in India occurred in Nagpur in 2010. They haven’t won any of their last seven games in India, but they have won five of their 19 Test matches there.