India vs South Africa ஸ்கோர்கார்டு, 3rd Test, South Africa vs India 2021/2022

India will be aiming to win their maiden bilateral men’s Test series in South Africa with the ongoing series currently levelled at 1-1; the last time the men in Blue lost two consecutive games against the Proteas was in January 2018, since then India have played six tests against the African nation winning five (L1).

Since the beginning of 2015, South Africa have played seven men’s Test matches at Newlands, Cape Town winning five of them; only against England have they not won at the venue during this period (draw in January 2016 and defeat in January 2020).

South Africa are unbeaten against India in men’s Test match played at the Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town having played five such games and winning three of those (D2).

The last time India lost the third match of a bilateral men’s Test series against South Africa was in January 2007, since then they have played the Proteas in five such games winning four while drawing the other.

India have a strong connection rate of 7.3% in men’s Tests since the beginning of 2019, the most of all teams; South Africa have 6.7% during this period.

Since the beginning of 2018, India has a collective bowling average of 25.8 in away men’s Tests, the best of all teams during this period.

India’s Shardul Thakur has averaged a boundary every seven balls while batting in the ongoing series, the best such rate for any batter; in fact 95% of his runs this series have come from boundaries, again the best.

11.6% of balls that Marco Jansen has bowled in the ongoing series have been short balls, the most by any bowler; in fact he has also picked up most wickets via such deliveries this series (three).

Ajinkya Rahane (India) requires 79 more runs to become the 13th Indian batter to reach to the 5000 runs milestone in men’s Test cricket, the Mumbaikar has scored 4921 runs at an average of 39 in the format; currently only Kapil Dev (31) averages below 40 among all 12 Indian batters who have scored 5000+ runs in the format.

Kagiso Rabada (South Africa) is set to become the 23rd Proteas player to play 50 games in men’s Tests; of all the South Africans to have played a minimum of as many games and bowled at least two innings, only Allan Donald (22.3) and Vernon Philander (22.3) have a better bowling average than Rabada currently (22.6).