5 records that were broken in the India-South Africa series

As Virat Kohli lifted the Freedom Trophy, India finally pulled one back in the long tour. After South Africa overpowered them in the T20 Series and comprehensively beat them in the ODIs, India were left to lick their wounds and plan a counter-attack in the much-awaited Tests.Playing in the subcontinent obviously upped their power levels, as they outmatched South Africa in all 4 Tests – something that has not been done for quite a while.After the pitch in Mohali was criticised for the lack of balance between bat and ball, the Bengaluru pitch was prepared quite evenly. But the Indian bowlers wove a web across the Proteas and ensured they collapsed for just 214.As India raced to 80/0 at the end of Day 1, heavy rains for the next four days led to the Test being called a draw. Once again, South Africa were met with a demonic pitch at Nagpur, where a combination of poor shots and square turn gave India the series. The fourth Test was a typical Test match pitch, where South Africa had the best chance to come back in the series.But it was not to be as they could not even achieve the follow-on total, folding for just 121 runs. Set a target of 481, the Protea batsmen began a blockathon to play out more than five sessions of play but were eventually bowled out in the final session of the final day.The rollercoaster of a series ended with the home side taking the spoils, as South Africa were left to question themselves and their lack of application.The long tour has certainly lived up to the hype it created, and India ended up victorious at the end, despite South Africa winning both the T20 and the ODI series. With match-winners in both the sides, a slew of records were broken in more than one format of the game. Let’s take a look at 5 of them.You can watch highlights of day 5 of the 4th Test match between India and South Africa here:

#5 Lowest Innings Total

Jadeja and Ashwin ran through the South African batting order to dismiss them for 79

Despite four South African batsmen playing more than 100 balls on the second innings of the fourth Test, the South African team were bowled out for 199 deliveries in the first innings of the third Test.

Coming back after two disappointing performances in Mohali and Bengaluru, South Africa needed a good start. Missing both Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander, it was the turn of Morne Morkel to shine. He picked up quick wickets and ensured that India collapsed for 215 runs in the first innings.

Batting on a turning track, South Africa needed to gauge the pitch and not play aggressive shots. But they were too tempted by the flight offered by the Indian bowlers and tried to play their shots.

Dean Elgar went for a cut shot and edged it on to his stumps. Hashim Amla went for an ill-advised sweep and was caught at slip. AB de Villiers tried to play a half-slap, half-punch and lobbed it back to the bowler. Du Plessis’ horrid form continued as he played for spin on a straighter ball and was castled.

The rest of the innings was a mere formality as South Africa eventually surrendered for just 79 runs. It was their lowest total since their re-admission to Test cricket as the Test champions could not even last 200 deliveries.

With South Africa making it a habit to bowl teams out for less than 100 runs in the last decade, it was a surprise to see the same happening to themselves. It was also South Africa’s 10th ever lowest total, and the No. 1 ranked team could not have sunk lower.

#4 Biggest victory margin

India’s largest ever win in terms of runs was achieved in the final Test

As the epic blockathon unfolded on the last two days of the Nagpur Test, speculation was rife whether South Africa would ever pass 100. As they batted at the run-rate of 1.00 per over, it seemed that they would simply cease to score as the hours went by.

Finishing at 72/2 in 72 overs on Day 4, many wondered if South Africa could save the match by batting the whole of day 5, and indeed, Indian fans were left puzzled over how much – or rather how little – they would make.

As it turned out, South Africa did indeed cross 100 – in the 109th over, to ironic applause. But with the dismissal of Faf du Plessis, the floodgates opened and the Indian bowlers all chipped in with timely wickets to force a result for the game.

AB de Villiers unsuccessfully tried to appeal for bad light and watched his partners fell one by one. As he himself was dismissed, the match was firmly in India’s grasp.

What most didn’t notice – as India won the match by 337 runs – it was a new record for them. It was India’s largest ever victory in terms of runs, and they had also achieved the No. 2 spot in Test rankings.

They went past their 320-run clobbering of Australia in Mohali in 2008 as they beat the No. 1 ranked Test team in the world to notch yet another remarkable feat.

#3 First Bilateral Series Win

AB de Villiers had come to India with only one intention – win. And he did

Once South Africa had posted 438 on the board in the 5th ODI, India had virtually no chance of beating them. But fans could still hope, and that was what they did as the openers came out to bat.

But a mere 36 overs later, India folded for 224 on the flattest of decks, and South Africa had won their first ever bilateral series in India. As AB de Villiers lifted the cup as Man of the Series, he had also won one of the hardest fought tours of his career.

South Africa had played 5 bilateral series in India between 1991 and 2010, and they had lost 4 and drawn 1 of them. India had always been one of the harder places for South Africa to conquer as they went about notching victories in every other country.

Australia and England were out-bounced, Sri Lanka and Pakistan were buried under mountains of runs, but India was still untouched by Protea hands – until AB de Villiers came in with a vengeance in 2015.

After a close victory in the first ODI, MS Dhoni led India single-handedly to victory in the second. A comprehensive victory in the third was quickly neutralised by India’s spinners in the fourth.

It was winner-take-all in the last match, and de Villiers was determined to make it count. He smashed 119 off 61 balls, taking the Indian bowlers to the cleaners, smacking 11 sixes in his knock and ensuring South Africa’s total was way beyond India’s grasp.

As the last Indian wicket fell with the score on 224, de Villiers had achieved what no other South African captain had, and notched an epic series win on Indian soil.

#2 Dot Balls

Hashim Amla began the “blockathon” as none of the balls he played moved off the square

While most did not expect South Africa to go all guns blazing in chase of an improbable target of 481 runs, truth must be said that they also did not expect a snoozefest like this.

The scoreboard crawled along at a snail’s pace as South Africa barely made runs, going only a 1.00 runs per over. At the end of Day 4, they had made 72 runs in 72 overs. At the end of the match, they had scored 143 runs in 143 overs – a mind-numbing 143 runs in just less than 9 hours of play.

Over the course of their innings, a number of dot ball records had been broken to pieces. Hashim Amla recorded the feat of facing most deliveries for a single digit score. Amla also recorded the lowest strike rate while facing 200 balls or more, scoring at just 10.24.

On the other hand, AB de Villiers faced the most deliveries for a sub-50 score, taking 297 balls for his 43. On the whole, South Africa’s run rate of 0.99 in the second innings after batting for 100 or more overs. It also the only such instance.

For India, Ravindra Jadeja bowled 108 consecutive deliveries without conceding a run, which is the third in the all-time list. India also bowled 42 maiden overs on the 4th Day of the Test out of 72 overs, the joint-highest with 72 overs being bowled.

Despite South Africa being bowled out in the end, the Test would go down as the day that South Africa proved why Test cricket was really a “test”.

#1 South Africa\'s Away Record

As South Africa collapsed in Nagpur, their 9-year-old record went down with them

An unbeaten streak is always something to cherish. West Indies boasted the best of them all – a 15-year period where they went undefeated in 29 Test series. Australia comes second - twice going undefeated in 16 consecutive Tests.

South Africa also had an unbeaten streak – they had not lost an overseas Test series for nine long years. In that period, they overcame teams like Australia twice, England, Pakistan, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. They were looking good to continue that streak for a long, long while.

Until it all came crashing down on the third day of the third Test at Nagpur. South Africa, who had proven themselves champions of all surfaces, succumbed to the rank turners that India served up for them in the third test. Their first innings was one of utter wretchedness as they fell to 79 all out. Set a target of 310, they were never in the game as the Indian spinners took them apart.

Ravichandran Ashwin took seven in the innings as South Africa folded for 185, with only Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis showing anything resembling resistance. Even superstar AB de Villiers couldn’t save the ship as he fell once again to Ashwin. South Africa let the series slip from their hands, and their 9-year-old unbeaten record went with it.