OTD | India edged past South Africa by 64 runs in a low-scoring thriller in Ahmedabad in 1996

During their encounter in Ahmedabad in 1996, India and South Africa aggregated 762 runs, which is the lowest total in a match that involves these two teams. However, in the end, it was the home team that prevailed. 

Winning the toss, India decided to bat first. The South African bowling, led by Allan Donald, was at the top of their game. They managed to keep India at bay as wickets kept falling, with no major partnership for the Indian batters. Sachin Tendulkar’s 42 was the highest score of the innings that saw 223 runs being scored. On the other hand, Allan Donald picked up four wickets for the Proteas. 

The story was the same when South Africa came out to bat. They could not build major partnerships as they succumbed to a score of 244 runs, taking a 21-run lead. Fanie de Villers’ 67 was the highest score of the match. For India, Sunil Joshi led the bowling attack with four wickets. 

In the next innings, debutant VVS Laxman handled the charge of Indian batting with 51 runs. He, along with Rahul Dravid’s cameo of 34 runs, helped India set a target of 170 runs. This target was always going to be challenging for the visiting side. 

In the final innings, it was the Karnatak bows, Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble, who did the heavy lifting for India. They picked up six and three wickets, respectively to help India defend the total. For the visitors, captain Hansie Crojne was the highest run scorer with 48 runs in the second innings. Srinath was handed the Player of the Match award for his eight wickets in the game as South Africa were bundled out for 105, handing India a 64-run win.

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