The five-match one-day series between India and South Africa beginning in Johannesburg tomorrow will be the first bilateral series between the two sides in South Africa since India's maiden tour in 1992-93. The records indicate that India haven't had much success in South Africa, apart from that golden run in the 2003 World Cup. In 1992-93, South Africa romped to a convincing 5-2 series victory. In 1996-97, India edged out Zimbabwe to reach the final of the tri-series but lost. The 2001-02 tri-series involved Kenya, and while India managed to reach the final, they were outclassed again by the South Africans.Given India's lacklustre recent form in ODIs - they have lost eight of their
last 13 matches, and even went down in the warm-up match against the Rest of South Africa - and the home team's impressive displays - eight wins in their
last 12 - there is little doubt about which side will start off as favourites in the five-match series.
Pitches with extra zip and bounce have always been India's perennial bugbear in overseas series, and that would explain India's struggle on South African pitches. However, India's 2003 World Cup campaign told a different story. The table below shows just how the combined batting average spiralled in 2003 - beefed up by flat pitches and easy pickings against the minnows. Two Indian batsmen who will be looking to better their averages on this tour would be Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag. While his overall batting average sits pretty in the mid-40s, Sachin's average against the South Africans in their backyard pales in comparison. The same can be said of Sehwag, who didn't have the best of times in the ODIs during his last tour five years back. The one batsman the South Africans will have to keep an eye on is Rahul Dravid, who often thrives in conditions alien to the rest. Among the South Africans, Jacques Kallis has been the most prolific against India in home conditions.