OVER TO WANDERERS, A FORTRESS AWAY FROM HOME

India Have Never Lost A Test At The Venue; Umesh Could Be An Option On A Greenish Pitch

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India have breached Fort Centurion in their bid to conquer the final frontier. Now it’s over to the Wanderers in Johannesburg from Monday and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that this is India’s fortress in a foreign land.

In their 30 years of touring history in South Africa, this is one venue where they have never lost a Test match and there have been milestones galore. Be it coach Rahul Dravid’s first Test ton in 1997 or India’s first Test win in South Africa in 2006, India have always been a force at this venue where swing and seam bowlers have held sway.

Even Virat Kohli’s dream run overseas started with a win at Wanderers in 2018 and the team is now on the cusp of history at its favoured venue. “While grounds like Newlands and Centurion help the shortish length of the South African pacers, the ideal Johannesburg length is fuller. That’s why India has had so much success at this venue,” Prasanna Agoram, the former video analyst of the South African team who worked with the national side for 11 years, told TOI from Johannesburg.