Virat Kohli and the Indian cricket team continued their dominance on home shores as they secured their 11th consecutive series win by whitewashing South Africa in the Ranchi Test.
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In the modern era of cricket, there is an established pattern of home dominance by many teams. India, in particular, is particularly dominant on their home patch. In the last two decades, the Indian cricket team has lost only two series at home. The first was in 2004 against Australia while they lost to England in 2012. However, since that loss, Indian cricket reached an upward trajectory that has become an envy of the cricket world. From 2013 till 2021, the Indian cricket team dominated every opponent on their home turf. In the 2016/17 season, they were particularly dominant as they thrashed New Zealand, England, Bangladesh and got the better of Australia.
At one point, after the victory in 2017, they held series wins and trophies against all nine Test-playing nations. The same was expected in the 2019 season. South Africa was the first team to visit India in the newly conceptualized ICC World Test Championship 2019/21. South Africa did not have good memories of India in the last decade. After holding them to draws in 2008 and 2010, India thrashed South Africa 3-0 in the four-Test series.
Heading into the Test series in 2019, South Africa was low on confidence with some key players either retired or not playing. Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, AB de Villiers had all retired and this was the best opportunity for the hosts to win the Test series in a grand way.
Before the Test series, India played a three-match T20I series against the Proteas. The first match was abandoned in Dharamshala due to rain. But, India pulled off a sensational seven-wicket win in Mohali. However, South Africa managed to level the series thanks to a nine-wicket win in Bangalore due to Quinton de Kock’s aggressive fifty.
But, the Test series was an entirely different matter. In the first Test at Vizag, the signs were ominous right from the beginning. Mayank Agarwal and Rohit Sharma notched up a record 317-run opening stand for India as South Africa was totally deflated. Rohit notched up a century while Agarwal went one better to score a brilliant 215. India declared their innings on 502/7 but South Africa fought hard. It would be the only time in the series that South Africa would fight.
Dean Elgar hit a magnificent 160 and shared a partnership of 164 with De Kock. The left-handed duo scored centuries as South Africa was bowled out for 431, giving India a lead of 71. R Ashwin took 7/145 and he became the fastest to 350 wickets during the course of the match. Rohit scored a century in the second innings to join an elite list of players. His tally of 13 sixes was the most by an Indian player in history. India once again declared on 323/4, giving South Africa a target of 395. Mohammed Shami showed his brilliance in the second innings as he took 5/35. He was ably supported by Ravindra Jadeja who took 4/87 as India won by 203 runs.
In the remaining two Tests, India simply outplayed South Africa in a grand way. Agarwal hit another century but it was Virat Kohli who stole the show. He led from the front and blasted 254 which was the highest by an Indian captain in Tests. Kohli shared partnerships with Ajinkya Rahane (59) and Ravindra Jadeja (91) as India ended on 601/5 declared. The onslaught by Kohli totally deflated South Africa.
Faf du Plessis hit 64 but Ashwin was the star yet again with 4/69. Umesh Yadav took 3/37 as South Africa were bowled out for 275. India enforced the follow-on and South Africa could not put up a fight. No Proteas batsmen scored a fifty as Jadeja and Umesh Yadav took three wickets apiece. The victory by an innings and 137 runs gave India an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Heading into the Ranchi Test, India was gunning for the whitewash. Rohit, who had hit twin centuries in Vizag, went one step better and blasted a double century. He shared a partnership of 267 with Ajinkya Rahane who hit 115. For the fourth consecutive time, India declared on 497/8. The pain for the Proteas increased when Umesh Yadav hit five sixes in his knock of 31 off 10 balls.
Zubayr Hamza hit 62 but none of the other players stepped up. Umesh took three wickets while Shami, Jadeja and debutant Shahbaz Nadeem took two wickets apiece to bowl South Africa out for 162. Things did not get any better for South Africa as the Indian bowlers blasted them out for 133, with India winning by an innings and 202 runs.
The brilliance of India was evident in every facet of their dominance of South Africa. Batting, bowling, and fielding, they had outperformed South Africa in every way. In the entire series, South Africa could not bowl India out in any of the matches. The win was India’s 11th consecutive win at home.
South Africa came back for the ODI series in India in March 2020 but that was the last series before the coronavirus pandemic hit India. After that, cricket was never the same again.
