SA vs IND, 1st Test: Rohit Sharma looks to steer India towards elusive prize after broken World Cup dreams

India captain Rohit Sharma will be out to bury the memory of his side’s defeat in the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup when he takes on South Africa in what is the final frontier for India in Test cricket.

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Rohit, who was immaculate with the captain’s hat and the bat in the 2023 ODI World Cup, led his side to the final, only to taste defeat at the hands of Australia in Ahmedabad last month. Since then, the skipper has not stepped foot on the cricket field for India.

That, however, is set to change as India take on South Africa in the first Test of the two-match series at the SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium in Centurion on Tuesday, December 26. While he may not have been able to become just the third Indian captain to get their hands on the coveted World Cup trophy, he has another chance of scripting cricketing history for his nation.

Rohit is now tasked to do what no Indian captain has ever done before – win a Test series against South Africa in South Africa. Seven captains have tried and failed before Rohit, with the likes of MS Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammad Azharuddin, Virat Kohli, Rahul Dravid and KL Rahul falling at the final frontier of Test cricket for India.

In fact, India has a poor record against the Proteas in the longest format of the game, winning just four matches in South Africa since the first bi-lateral Test series between these two nationals in 1992. Out of the eight away Test series against South Africa, India has lost seven while drawing just one.

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RESULTS IN AWAY TEST SERIES VS SOUTH AFRICA

1992/93: South Africa won 1-0 in a 4-match series

1996/97: South Africa won 2-0 in a 3-match series

2001/02: South Africa won 1-0 in a 2-match series

2006/07: South Africa won 2-1 in a 3-match series

2010/11: 3-match series drawn 1-1

2013/14: South Africa won 1-0 in a 2-match series

2017/18: South Africa won 2-1 in a 3-match series

2021/22: South Africa won 2-1 in a 3-match series

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Speaking to the media ahead of the Boxing Day Test in Centurion, Rohit said the team is looking to win something big after falling at the final hurdle in the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. Out of 22 Tests, India have won only four matches in South Africa.

“We’ve never won a Test series in South Africa, if we win the series, I don’t know if it can compensate for the World Cup loss. World Cup is a World Cup, we can’t compare. We have worked so hard, so we need something, something big. And everyone is desperate for it. We have the tools and I hope we perform well. We want to play freely and not think much,” said Rohit.

INDIA’S SQUAD FOR TEST SERIES

Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Prasidh Krishna, KS Bharat (WK), Abhimanyu Easwaran.