Eden Gardens a biblical challenge as Proteas confront India record

IF THERE was any tiny doubt about how difficult it is to win in India, then a quick glance at the Proteas’ record over the past nine Tests here on the bustling subcontinent serves as a cold reminder.

- ZAAHIER ADAMS.

Seven defeats, a single victory and one match abandoned due to an unsea-sonal Bengaluru monsoon since 2010.

“It's probably one of the toughest tours, if not the toughest tour in the Proteas calendar,’ experienced spinner Keshav Maharaj admitted on Tuesday.

There is something different about this upcoming two-match series, which starts at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens on Friday. Unlike the last visit here in 2019, when the team was in disarray after a wretched World Cup campaign, held together by a part-time management staff, and the entire game in a complete flux back home, the Proteas have arrived in India with the World Test Championship belt in their possession ~ a feat that has eluded their hosts on two occasions.