Five reasons why South Africa have remained unbeaten on the road since 2006

World class all-rounder in Jacques Kallis

There can be no cynicism when you say, “Kallis has been the best all-rounder in the current era”. Piling up more than 13K runs to date and having picked up 288 wickets in Test cricket, you got to believe that he has done a lot more than what you would expect out of an all-rounder. There aren’t any shortcomings as far his batting repertoire is concerned and when it comes to his bowling, he is very adept at bowling the heavy ball, clever changes in pace and is a hot cup of coffee to handle for a batsman.

Not only has his individual skills and performances helped South Africa but, his partnership with Amla at No.3 is a feared batting combination for a fielding captain. Their level of consistency, cool exterior under pressure and knowing the nuances of building an innings just makes them invincible at times.

To go with his batting and bowling capabilities, he is a great slip fielder too with 198 Test catches till date. When you see Dhoni lamenting over India’s inadequacy to produce a genuine all-rounder, you invariably think of Kallis and that is where South Africa have been fortunate. Because, excluding Kallis, Klusener himself was a handy all-rounder and Shaun Pollock at No.7 cannot be discounted as well with his batting capabilities. Kallis deserves a special mention when you talk about South Africa’s rise to the top of the Test rankings and also their stupendous record away from home since 2006.