India vs South Africa – Kolkata, November 5
India versus South Africa at the Eden Gardens around the time of Diwali will remind Kolkata of the Hero Cup semi-final in 1993, when Sachin Tendulkar defended six runs in the last over. Times have changed. India have risen in the world rankings, South Africa have not. But they will give themselves a chance because Eden Gardens has of late produced hard pitches with bounce. It will be difficult to change because the nature of the soil used is such. The Indian seamers, if at full strength, are also capable of asking tough questions of the visitors.
Dew can become a headache for the side bowling second. Kolkata at that time of year gets a considerable amount of it in the evening, which makes it hard for bowlers to grip the ball. Groundsmen use a special spray these days to control dew, and also use different kinds of mop-up tools, but so far, nothing has been found to be foolproof. Keeping the external factors aside, this should be a good pitch to bat on as well. The bounce is even and the super-quick outfield ensures value for shots.
Trivia: South Africa’s first international match after more than two decades of Apartheid-era isolation was played at Eden Gardens in November 1991. That was India’s first glimpse of Allan Donald, who was eventually tamed by Sachin Tendulkar. They shared the Player of the Match award.
India vs South Africa head-to-head
| Matches | India Wins | South Africa Wins | |
| Overall | 90 | 37 | 50 |
| In Kolkata | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| In World Cups | 5 | 2 | 3 |