5 greatest performances by Dale Steyn in the subcontinent

#4 3/27 & 4/48 vs Bangladesh, Dhaka 2008

Steyn once again proved to be the match-winner in a low scoring thriller

Match Result: South Africa won by 5 wickets

Steyn’s second visit to Asia involved a tour to Bangladesh and this time, the South Africans were clear favourites against the hosts. The first Test turned out to be a low scoring thriller.

Batting first, Bangladesh were skittled for 192 as the Steyn and Morkel duo wreaked havoc on the batsmen, snaring 8 of the 10 wickets to fall. Once again, the openers fell prey to Steyn, unable to handle his pace and swing as he ended with figures of 3/27.

To everyone’s surprise, the South African batting lineup failed to fire in reply, as Shahadat Hossain’s 6/27 gave the Bangla Tigers an unlikely first-innings lead. A strong start was required from the Protea bowlers to cover up for their batters’ failures and once again, Steyn took up the mantle.

Tamim Iqbal was beaten for pace and his off stump went cartwheeling towards the keeper. A couple of beautiful in-swingers to Shahriar Nafees and Habibul Bashar trapped them in front of the stumps and in no time, the hosts were reduced to 3/27.

With terrific support from Kallis, who picked up 5 in the innings, Steyn finished with 4/48. He trapped the resilient Aftab Ahmed for 24 to trigger a collapse as Bangladesh set a challenging target of 205.

With useful contributions from Hashim Amla and captain Graeme Smith, the Proteas managed to get over the line by 5 wickets. Though Kallis won the Man of the Match for his 5-wicket haul, without Steyn’s early burst in both innings, Bangladesh could have sprung up a huge surprise.

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#3 5/23 & 3/91 vs India, Ahmedabad 2008

Dale Steyn ripped apart India's batting on a green top

Match Result: South Africa won by an innings and 90 runs

Following the 2-0 series win in Bangladesh, South Africa set foot on India, looking to add another feather to their cap in the subcontinent. After a drab draw in the first Test in Chennai, all eyes turned to Ahmedabad for the second game.

Unlike Indian pitches, the surface at the Motera was a green top and Anil Kumble, after winning the toss, elected to bat first. That decision turned out to be a costly one as a reinvigorated Dale Steyn ripped through the Indian batting lineup, with the hosts stumbling to a stunning 76 all out. Steyn was the wrecker-in-chief, finishing with incredible figures of 5/23.

The highlight of the innings was the wicket of Rahul Dravid, as Steyn’s late out-swinger penetrated The Wall's defence.

In reply, the South African duo of Kallis & De Villiers plundered the Indian bowling, who looked pale in comparison to their Protea counterparts. AB de Villiers’ unbeaten 217 and Kallis’ 132 took the game away from the Indians, and it was left to the bowlers to finish the job and take a 1-0 lead in the series.

Second time around, the Indian batsmen played far better, but Steyn’s crucial scalp of Sourav Ganguly (India’s top-scorer with 87) put the brakes on their innings as the Graeme Smith-led side inflicted an innings defeat on the hosts.

Although India levelled the series at Kanpur, Dale Steyn finished as his side’s top wicket-taker for the second series running.