Captain of the Indian cricket team, Virat Kohli tried to defend his team’s poor performance in the ongoing Test series against South Africa in the post-match conference by having a go at the press. When questioned about his team’s debacles overseas after an invincible run at home, he counter-questioned them, asking how many games the Proteas managed to win in India. Kohli was mainly referring to the 3-0 drubbing that India handed the Proteas in a 4-match home series (on dustbowls) in 2015 under his captaincy but then to presume that the South Africans perform just as dreadful in India is a sort of denial.

He must have forgotten that Test cricket started way before his captaincy debut. The Proteas have a much better record in Tests in India despite the outcome in the 2015 series. The two teams have played 16 Tests in India since 1996 with South Africa winning 5 of them and losing 8 while 3 were drawn. The Proteas even thumped India 2-0 in 1999-2000 in their own backyard, apart from drawing two series in 2007-08 and 2009-10. Something which the current team captained by Virat Kohli can’t match. And since a 3-0 whitewash is on the cards as the teams move on to a green track at the Wanderers, Kohli might become the first Indian captain to not win or draw even a single test on a South Africa tour. So much for INTENT!

On a contrary, India have managed just 2 wins out of their 19 tests on the South African soil which came under Rahul Dravid in 2006-07 and M.S. Dhoni in 2010-11.

South Africa in India (Tests): Played 16; won 5; lost 8; drawn 3

India in South Africa in (Tests): Played 19; won 2; lost 10; drawn 7

After the loss in the Test series, Indian fans are optimistic that they will do better in the Limited overs leg of the tour but whatever the outcome, captain Kohli needs to take a look at the numbers again before having a go at the press. The hosts are far superior travelers when compared to India as shown here by the facts.