Tamil Nadu batsman S Badrinath says it wasn't easy to bat, let alone score runs, in his Test debut against South Africa earlier this month.
India survived several anxious moments before beating South Africa by one run in the first One-Day International at the Sawai Mansingh stadium in Jaipur on Sunday. Wayne Parnell smashed 49 from 45 deliveries but was run-out off the final delivery of the innings as South Africa were dismissed for 297, in reply to India's 298 for nine in 50 overs.
A look at the few bright spots, the many worries, and moments that made for a distinctly indelible 2020.
Quinton de Kock, Faf de Plessis and AB de Villiers all scored hundreds as South Africa crushed India's bowling attack to post 438-4 and win the deciding One-day International by 214 runs at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai, on Sunday.
AB de Villiers won as many as five awards, including the South African Cricketer of the Year for a second consecutive time, at a gala function, hosted by Cricket South Africa (CSA), in Johannesburg on Wednesday night. Besides being voted Cricketer of the Year for the second successive season, the South African batting great bagged four more accolades out of nine major awards.
Veteran Anil Kumble showed the fire in him was still burning as he rallied Royal Challengers from a disastrous start to a runners-up finish in the second season of the IPL. The ace leg spinner was instrumental in the team's revival while veterans Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis also made notable contributions as it finished behind Deccan Chargers.
South African pacer Morne Morkel believes his and Dale Steyn's exploit with the new bowl on the first day of the opening Test would have repercussions on the rest of the three-match series and also send a good message to the Indian camp.
Explosive all-rounder Ben Stokes and relentless run accumulator Steve Smith could not be more different in their approaches to the game but both roared back from personally adversity to bestride an extraordinary cricketing year. Virat Kohli and his men top the confused and confusing World Test Championship table with seven wins in as many matches, including their first pink-ball Test against Bangladesh last month. That victory marked their 12th consecutive Test series win at home.
Allan Donald has stepped down as bowling coach of South Africa, confirming his departure.
For the visitors, the game against the Mandeep Singh-led India 'A' side will be more about getting into the match simulation mode before they get going against Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team in the opening T20 International at Dharamsala on October 2.
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Deccan Chargers and Royal Challengers Bangalore, in Nagpur, on Monday.
Experienced South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis will not be able to bowl in the first Test against England, captain Graeme Smith said on Tuesday.
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar says South Africa will be a tough challenge for India in the upcoming Test series and marked out Proteas leg-spinner Imran Tahir as the one bowler to watch out for.
'We want to give Rohit Sharma an opportunity to open the innings in Tests'
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bangalore on Thursday.
South Africa fast bowling great Allan Donald will join Australia as bowling coach for their tour of Sri Lanka this year, local media reported on Wednesday.
From Michael Holding to Virender Sehwag, the cricket fraternity mourned the demise of renowned West Indies commentator Tony Cozier and paid glowing tributes to the legendary voice of the game.
India's Ravichandran Ashwin maintained his stronghold at the top of the ICC Test All-Rounder rankings while Ravindra Jadeja stayed fifth in the chart.
After escaping with a narrow win in Jaipur, India would aim to plug their bowling loopholes and seal the three-match series to retain the number two spot in ICC rankings when they take on South Africa in the second ODI in Gwalior on Wednesday.
Former opener Gary Kirsten says South Africa know how to beat Australia in their own backyard in the upcoming three-match Test series Down Under.
Dale Steyn, who picked a career-best figures of seven for 51 on Monday, said the reverse swing came to his aid and pitching the ball up paid rich dividends.
Hashim Amla's 13th One-day International century and a clinical performance in the field carried South Africa to a comfortable 75 run victory in the opener of their three-match series against Sri Lanka on Sunday.
South Africa won the fourth and final Test by an innings and 74 runs on Sunday, bowling England out for 169 just before lunch on the fourth day at the Wanderers to level the series at 1-1.
Despite the painful semi-final loss to New Zealand in Auckland in the World Cup, South African fans and media went easy on its cricket team. A long history of failure at the tournament has often put the Proteas at the sharp end of stinging criticism from the demanding media and fans back home.
South Africa moved into a strong position to win the third Test and level the series after England, chasing an unlikely 466 to win, were reduced to 132 for three at the close on the fourth day at Newlands on Wednesday.
England, replying to South Africa's 291, were 241 for seven at close on the second day of the third Test thanks to battling innings by Alastair Cook, Ian Bell and Matt Prior.
Jacques Kallis defied England with another composed century to lift South Africa to 279 for six on the first day of the third Test on Sunday.
Former pacer Fanie de Villiers has slammed South African selectors for including "half-fit" bowlers in the national side that suffered an ignominious defeat to the visiting Englishmen in the second Test in Durban earlier this week.
Suresh Raina smashed a quickfire half-century while skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni produced a belligerent unbeaten knock of 63 as Chennai Super Kings outclassed Sunrisers Hyderabad by 12 runs in their Champions League T20 match, in Ranchi.
South Africa's pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada feels the upcoming T20I and Test series against India is a chance for his embattled team to figure where it stands against the world's best in a tough transition journey.
India's wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha and middle-order batsman Rohit Sharma have made significant gains and climbed up latest ICC Test rankings for batsmen.
Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara has regained the number one ranking among Test batsmen after scoring 130 not out on Friday to help draw the final test against Pakistan in Colombo.
Former captain Graeme Smith feels South Africa's 'powerful' bowling attack will put the Indian batting line-up under serious pressure in the upcoming Test series, starting January 5 in Cape Town.
Putting up an all-round show, Kolkata Knight Riders consolidated their fourth position in the points table with a comfortable seven-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in an IPL match in Hyderabad on Sunday.
Rajneesh Gupta glances at the history of this fascinating 21st century cricketing rivalry.
A look at how South Africa's fast bowlers have performed at home and their record against Indian batsmen.
As the teams gear up for the 2019 World Cup to be held in the UK across 11 venues, here is a look at the 10 greatest matches in the history of the mega-event.
JP Duminy has been named in the South African Twenty20 squad for the three-match home series against West Indies next month, but a number of other top players will again be rested.
South Africa have included the world's number one test bowler Vernon Philander in their preliminary 30-man squad for the World Twenty20 tournament to be played in Bangladesh in March and April next year.
Harbhajan Singh, with three wickets in England's innings, took his tally of wickets this year to 58. Only South Africa's Dale Steyn (60) has claimed more wickets than Harbhajan in 2008.
