India v South Africa, 2015-16

	The Test was called off due to heavy rains © BCCI Enlarge
Related Links Tour and tournament reports : India v South Africa, 2015-16 Matches: India v South Africa at Bengaluru Series/Tournaments: South Africa tour of India Teams: India | South Africa

At Bangalore, November 14-18, 2015. Drawn. Toss: India.
Only a single day's play was possible before a depressing, grey drizzle descended - and refused to abate. The match therefore represented no more than a couple of pieces in the series jigsaw, but those inclined towards forensic investigation might conclude they were significant. Wet weather prevented the groundsman fulfilling his pre-match instructions, even though a marquee was erected over the square to keep it as dry as possible. Kohli had expected far more seam movement after choosing to bowl first, and South Africa found themselves on a trustworthy pitch not dissimilar, in terms of pace and bounce, to many of their own.

But, de Villiers apart, they made a mess of things. Then, for four days, the scoreboard stood unmoved as a reminder of their inadequacy. Ashwin and Jadeja dominated the batsmen, taking four wickets apiece. Van Zyl left a straight one, and du Plessis was smartly caught at short leg off an inside edge. Amla was cleaned up by a beauty from Aaron - a rare wicket for an Indian seamer - then Elgar was bowled trying an aggressive sweep in the first over after lunch, after battling through the morning session.

In a peculiar twist of logistical fate, de Villiers was playing his 100th Test in the city and stadium where his IPL exploits for the Royal Challengers have made him not just a household name, but as revered and cheered as any Indian. He was in glorious touch, too, and would surely have celebrated the occasion with a century had he received a semblance of meaningful support. Instead he was left with the tail, and finally fell for 85, via the faintest of touches off the glove, after a solo effort to rescue an embarrassing total. The ease with which Dhawan and Vijay cruised to 80 was equally embarrassing for South Africa - but happy confirmation for India that they were in control of the series.