K-drama lead up to mouthwatering contest: South Africa v India, series preview

We preview the three-Test series between South Africa and India - a golden chance for the Indian team to win their first Test series there.

Note: Readers in India can now buy Mike Marqusee's classic cricket book War Minus The Shooting at the Atta Galatta bookstore in Bangalore. They are happy to courier copies to those outside Bangalore if you write in at: Thebookstore@attagalatta.com (You can also tweet at their handle: https://twitter.com/AttaGalatta).

Outside India, War Minus the shooting is available as a paperback and e-copy on Amazon. 

Talking Points:

• Kohli v Ganguly - and the controversy vacuum in Indian cricket
• Can a tree stump captain India (and other philosophical questions)
• Is this saga the new Chappell-Ganguly? Will it have lasting implications?
• Memories of India's past tours to South Africa - Kapil, Amre, Prasad, Sreesanth...
• The panelists pick their favourite Indian innings in South Africa
• A battle of the bowling - and which batting line-up can resist best?
• Shreyas or Vihari or Rahane? Ashwin or no Ashwin?
• Can we expect pitches like we saw in 2018?

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Ashoka (@ABVan)

Correction: Apologies for confusing two Test matches that came under discussion. Sreesanth dismissed Kallis in both the 2006 Johannesburg Test as well as the 2010 Durban Test. Kohli's century on the 2018 tour was in Centurion and not Cape Town. We will be more careful in the future.

Related:

• Virat Kohli calling out Sourav Ganguly and the clashing storylines - Sharda Ugra - Hindustan Times
• Virat Kohli's biggest gamble yet - Sidharth Monga - ESPNcricinfo
• Was India's hardness forged at the Wanderers? - Telford Vice - Cricbuzz.com
• Tendulkar and the totemic number - Mahesh Sethuraman - Medium
• India v New Zealand series review - 81allout podcast
• Couthtalk with WV Raman - Subash Jayaraman's interview - Couchtalks
• VVS Laxman's 32 at Bloemfontein in 2001 - YouTube
• Sreesanth 8-99 in Wanderers in 2006 - YouTube