In 1999/00, South Africa returned to India after three years for a two-Test series. They won both Test matches, and ended up creating history by becoming the first touring side, since Pakistan in 1986/87, to win a Test series on Indian soil. They also remain the only side to whitewash India in India in a series of two or more Test matches. What made their achievement even more remarkable was that they lost both tosses.
The Indian team was going through a low. As in 1996/97, Sachin Tendulkar had replaced Mohammad Azharuddin after an ordinary tour of England. The team had been hammered on a recent tour of Australia. India fought hard in the first Test match, but were no match for an outstanding South African outfit in the second.
On a Mumbai pitch designed for spin, Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock demonstrated their skills to reduce India to 96/4. Tendulkar stood amidst the ruins with 97, but the only support came from Ajit Agarkar, who exorcised the horrors of the Australia tour with a 42-ball 41. India scored 225.
The South African openers then added 90 before Tendulkar dismissed both to trigger a spectacular collapse, and India eked out a 49-run lead. But after reaching a somewhat comfortable 73/3, India caved in. Pollock (4-24) led the South African pacers for the day, and India folded for just 113. The surprise package of the Test match was Hansie Cronje, who finished with match figures of 5-49.
But South Africa still needed to score 163. And though they reached 108/2, Anil Kumble (4-50) kept taking them out one by one. At 128/6 it could have been anybody’s match, but Mark Boucher’s single-minded determination to sweep everything within his reach sealed the day for South Africa. Winning the Player of the Match award was scant consolation for the Indian captain.
India ran out of steam once they reached Bangalore. As in Mumbai, the South African fast bowlers, fortified further with Nantie Hayward, bowled with discipline on Day 1, strangling the Indian batters and chipping away at the wickets. Not a single Indian batter reached 40 as they were bowled out for 158, and were never in the Test match after that.
Kumble (6-143) and Murali Kartik (3-123) wheeled away, over after over, but South Africa batted through, and on either side of, Days 2 and 3 to bat India out of the match. Gary Kirsten (79), night-watch Nicky Boje (85), Kallis (95), Daryll Cullinan (53), and Lance Klusener (97) all got fifties, and South Africa secured a lead of 221.
With the pitch now turning, South Africa’s lone spinner Boje (5-83) helped bowl out India for 250. The lone resistance came from Mohammad Azharuddin, whose 102 was the only hundred from either side in the series.
This was Azhar’s 99th Test. He would not play another, and neither would Cronje.
Ahead of the ODI series, Tendulkar resigned, and Sourav Ganguly took over as captain. India won the series 3-2. Less than a month after the last ODI, Delhi Police announced that they were in possession of a recording of a conversation between Cronje and a bookie, Sanjay Chawla. Two months after that, Cronje confessed to match-fixing.
Cronje was banned for life. Pollock replaced him as captain. Of the other implicated cricketers, Herschelle Gibbs and Henry Williams were banned for six months and fined, but Peter Strydom was not penalised.
1st Test: India 225 and 113 lost to South Africa 176 and 164/6 by 4 wickets. Player of the Match: Sachin Tendulkar.
2nd Test: India 158 and 250 lost to South Africa 479 by an innings and 71 runs. Player of the Match: Nicky Boje.
South Africa won the series 2-0. Player of the Series: Jacques Kallis.
India won the ODI series 3-2. Player of the Series: Sachin Tendulkar.