The Indian men’s cricket team started 2021 with a stunning rearguard in the Sydney Test and then breaching the fortress in Brisbane. From there on they went on to win two Test matches in London, one each at the Lord’s and the Oval. The women’s team, playing Test cricket after seven years, avoided defeat in England and controlled proceedings in Australia. Arguably, it was already the greatest year in Test cricket for India.

And so it was rather fitting that Virat Kohli and Co ended the year by breaching another fortress, this time at the venue that is considered the home of South African cricket. Centurion witnessed an Indian Test win for the first time in history on Thursday.

India beat South Africa by 113 runs at SuperSport Park in the first Test to take a 1-0 lead in three-match series. It became an addition to the list of famous wins away from home for this team.

India's away Test wins since 2018

Opponent Venue Match start date Margin Toss
v South Africa Johannesburg 24 Jan 2018 63 runs won
v England Nottingham 18 Aug 2018 203 runs lost
v Australia Adelaide 6 Dec 2018 31 runs won
v Australia Melbourne 26 Dec 2018 137 runs won
v Australia Melbourne 26 Dec 2020 8 wickets lost
v Australia Brisbane 15 Jan 2021 3 wickets lost
v England Lord's 12 Aug 2021 151 runs lost
v England The Oval 2 Sep 2021 157 runs lost
v South Africa Centurion 26 Dec 2021 113 runs won

Centurion is South Africa’s fortress in Test cricket as this became only the third match they have ever lost at the venue. The first was in 2000 (an infamous match where England won) and then Mitchell Johnson took them down in 2014... now it was the turn of Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Co to produce a bowling performance we have come to expect from this Test team.

India, therefore, started the year with the Test series win in Australia. Then came the disappointment in the one-off World Test Championship Final but that was quickly followed by a 2-1 lead in the suspended series against England in their own backyard. A 1-0 Test series win against World Champions established their strength at home.

Test match results in 2021 calendar year

Team Mat Won Lost Tied Draw W/L
India 14 8 3 0 3 2.666
Pakistan 9 7 2 0 0 3.500
England 15 4 9 0 2 0.444
Australia 5 3 1 0 1 3.000
New Zealand 6 3 1 0 2 3.000
South Africa 6 3 3 0 0 1.000
Sri Lanka 9 3 3 0 3 1.000
West Indies 10 3 5 0 2 0.600
Afghanistan 2 1 1 0 0 1.000
Bangladesh 7 1 5 0 1 0.200
Zimbabwe 5 1 4 0 0 0.250

India men team's Test matches in 2021

Opposition Ground Result Match start date
v Australia Sydney draw 7 Jan 2021
v Australia Brisbane won 15 Jan 2021
v England Chennai lost 5 Feb 2021
v England Chennai won 13 Feb 2021
v England Ahmedabad won 24 Feb 2021
v England Ahmedabad won 4 Mar 2021
v New Zealand Southampton lost 18 Jun 2021
v England Nottingham draw 4 Aug 2021
v England Lord's won 12 Aug 2021
v England Leeds lost 25 Aug 2021
v England The Oval won 2 Sep 2021
v England Manchester cancelled 10 Sep 2021
v New Zealand Kanpur draw 25 Nov 2021
v New Zealand Mumbai won 3 Dec 2021
v South Africa Centurion won 26 Dec 2021

Historically speaking, with a cutoff of 20 matches played at the venue, Centurion and Brisbane are at No 2 and No 3 in the list for the best Win-Loss ratios for a home side. Top of the list is Karachi’s National Stadium.

Best W/L ratios for home Teams

Mat Won Lost Tied Draw W/L
Karachi 43 23 2 0 18 11.500
Centurion 27 21 3 0 3 7.000
Brisbane 64 41 9 1 13 4.555
Cut off: MINIMUM 20 Test matches (men's) played at the venue

Here are some more numbers from India’s win in Centurion:

Statistics courtesy ESPNCricinfo