Video: South African players and team management look back fondly on rivalry with India

Credits: Cricket South Africa (via YouTube)

The second Test between India and South Africa is set to get underway at Bengaluru on Saturday with the visitors looking to stage a comeback after tasting defeat by a margin of 108 runs in the opening Test match that was played at Mohali. The pitch was a rank-turner with Indian spinners picking as many as 19 wickets as the match drew to a close within three days.

AB de Villiers has already spoken about how he is expecting similar pitches for the remainder of the series and his teammates, as well as the South African team management, acknowledge that playing in India is a huge challenge, in spite of boasting an envious away record of not having lost an away series since 2006.

They made their thoughts known on the rivalry shared by the two cricket-heavyweights over the years in one of the latest videos they have been doing as part of their long tour to India titled, “India Tour Diaries.”

The video begins with Test skipper Hasim Amla commenting how the series have been fittingly titled, “The Mahatma Gandhi-Nelson Mandela series” in remembrance of the two freedom fighters who played a pivotal role in their countries gaining independence.

"Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi, for any South African, represents people who have strived against oppression and extreme hardships, fighting for the right cause. That’s why they are calling it the Freedom Series,” Amla said.

Amla also recalled his debut match in Kolkata and the further tours he has been part of when South Africa toured India in 2008 and 2010 and said that he is extremely proud of their record in the sub-continent.

“My debut was in Kolkata, something which I hugely enjoyed at the time. In 2008, we came back here and managed to draw that series. We drew again in 2010,” he said. “Not many teams actually come to India and have been as successful as we have. Certainly this time around, we are hoping to win it (Test series).”

The skipper’s thoughts were echoed by speedster Dale Steyn, who has unfortunately been ruled out of the second Test due to injury.

“I would like to see India and South Africa play each other lot more. I have travelled here a lot with my IPL and South African teams and the general public here in India absolutely love their cricket. With the ODI and T20 series in the bag, there is a lot of confidence in the men, but it’s not going to be easy,” Steyn said.

The South Africans found it out the hard way at Mohali but coach Russel Domingo and team manager Mohammed Moosajee acknowledge that it’s part of the challenge of playing in India.

“I know there’s been some great series’ between the two nations. I remember Sachin (Tendulkar) scoring a wonderful hundred with Mohammad Azharuddin in Cape Town. It’s always been a great rivalry between the two sides, particularly in the subcontinent,” Domingo said.

“You ask any cricketer and they want to be judged by their Test match performances. South Africa have got a proud record of not having lost a series in almost a decade away from home. With that in mind, the guys want to make sure that they be allowed to play against the best, in their home conditions,” Moosajee said.