Test cricket is a format that is often considered the pinnacle of the sport – a format that tests players’ grit, determination, skill, and temperament in different situations. This format has a rich history, and certain factors often play a crucial role in deciding the outcome of a match. One such factor is the toss in Test cricket. The toss has always been an important part of the game, especially when matches are played in Asia, where its significance increases even more. Today, we’ll talk about the importance of the toss in Test cricket. Along with that, we’ll also discuss South Africa’s record over the last 10–12 years when they have lost the toss in Asia. So, without wasting any time, let’s begin.

The Importance of Toss in Test Cricket

The importance of toss in test cricket is huge. A toss decides which team gets a chance to bowl or bat first. It may sound like a simple formality before the game, but it actually plays a crucial role in determining the outcome of the game. Unlike the limited-overs format, the test matches are played over five days, and the pitch and conditions change dramatically over the course of those five days.

Sometimes, teams bat first to get an early advantage in the best batting conditions. A team that lost the toss has to play in the 2nd and 4th innings (unless there is a follow-on), where the pitch has some cracks, variable bounce, and more spin/movement. At the same time, sometimes teams bowl first, looking at the overcast conditions and the grass, and the moisture in the pitch. They get an early advantage of the useful conditions for the bowlers, and a team that lost the toss has to face difficult conditions.

Although skill, temperament, strategy, and patience define test cricket, the toss remains the first, and sometimes most crucial, battle for the captains.

South Africa’s Struggles against the Spinners in Asia

In Asia, when a test match is played, traditionally, the two teams get spin-friendly wickets. Mostly (not every time), whichever team won the toss bats first, considering the best batting conditions at the beginning and expecting deterioration of the pitch as the game progresses. In that case, if a team batting first gets a good lead, the team batting in the 4th inning struggles to chase even a decent enough total.

South African batters are generally considered a bit less effective against spin compared to pace, seam, or swing bowling — especially when they play Test matches in Asian conditions. It’s not like their batters haven’t scored runs in test matches in Asia, or they have not won test matches in this part of the world. In fact, South Africa has a history of not losing away test matches for a long period (including the ones in Asia) in the Graeme Smith era.

South Africa had batters in the past who were not outstanding against the spinners, but used to manage well and somehow found a way to score runs against them. But, in the last 10-12 years, they have struggled to score runs in the subcontinent. They have also lost quite a few games in Asia, as their number suggests (we will talk about the numbers later in this article). The reason for regular losses in test matches in Asia was ‘mostly’ because of their batters’ inability to score runs against the spinners. But it has something to do with the tosses as well. South Africa has lost quite a few crucial tosses in Asia since 2013.

ALSO READ: Why are 4th innings run chases difficult?

South Africa’s Record at the Toss in Test Cricket (since 2013)

Since 2013, South Africa (SA) has played a total of 21tests in Asia. In this period, they have lost 12 games, won 5, and 4 games ended in a draw. Out of those 21 games, the Proteas have lost the toss in 16 games and have only managed to win 5. In those 16 tosses they have lost, they also lost 10 games, won 3, and managed a draw in the other 3 games. Out of the 5 tosses they have won in this period, they have won 2 games, lost 2, and 1 game ended in a draw.

SA’s 4 games, which were ended in a draw since 2013, 3 were due to rain for most of the game. SA toured Bangladesh in 2015 for a 2-match test series. Both games ended in a draw due to rain. In 2015, SA’s 2nd test against India (IND) in Bengaluru, no play was possible after the first day due to heavy rain.

SA’s Record in Table Form (since 2013)

South Africa’s Struggle on Rank Turners in Asia

As of now, SA has played 7 tests against India, 6 tests against Pakistan, and 4 tests against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh each since 2013. Remember that 2015 India series, those were some of the spiciest wickets. The ball was turning big, it was turning square, and guess what, in the 4-match test series, SA lost all 4 tosses. In the 1st and 3rd tests, it was a run turner. In the 4th test in Delhi, it was slightly a better wicket than the 1st and the 3rd test, but it was still enough to trouble the batters in the 4th inning. It was a slow turner. SA lost that series 3-0, with one game ending in a draw due to rain (as mentioned earlier).

Check the full scoreboard of all the matches in the series HERE

In 2018, SA toured Sri Lanka for a 2-match test series. In both games, SL won the toss and elected to bat first. The pitches were very conducive for the spinners right from ball one. SA were always chasing the game and went on to lose both games. In 2021, SA played against Pakistan in a 2-match test series in Pakistan. Those pitches were not rank turners, but very much close to the rank turners – decent enough to keep both captains interested to bat first. SA won the toss in the first test in Karachi, but could not cash in. They lost the toss in 2nd test and lost that game as well.

SA Tour of India 2019: A Struggle to Score Big on Good Batting Wickets

In 2019, SA went to India for a three-match test series. Now, those were the different pitches in the whole series. Those were some good batting wickets for the first 3-4 days, with some obvious deterioration in the wicket in the last one and a half day or two days of the match. But one thing was constant: the tosses for South Africa. Connecting this to our topic of ‘toss in test cricket’, SA again lost all three tosses in the series. India batted first in all three games and scored big in the first inning of all three games.

Apart from the 1st inning of the 1st test, SA did not even come close to India’s first-inning totals. Their batters failed to apply themselves on good batting wickets (at least the wickets were good for the first few days). They were always chasing the game. The Proteas even lost the 2nd and third tests by an innings. There was a time when the South African captain Faf du Plessis brought Temba Bavuma to the toss as a proxy captain during the 3rd Test.

SA Did Well in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh Earlier

Apart from the 2015 and 2018 test series against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, they have played these two opponents in 2014 (SL) and 2024 (BAN). In 2014, SA did well to win the 2-match series by 1-0. They won the first game at Galle, where their batters scored big runs in the first inning after winning the toss. Their fast bowlers have also bowled well to win that test. In the 2nd test, we saw a close-fought draw in Colombo (SSC) after the drama in the end, Imran Tahir struggled with some cramps (or well-acted like struggling), allowing SA to draw the 2nd test. It was the last of SA’s domination in the away test series in that period. They lost their first away test series after a while, when they toured India in 2015.

In 2024, SA had a tough assignment on their hand, playing against Bangladesh in Bangladesh in a 2-match test series. SA needed to win those games to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 Final. Everyone was expecting a tough fight from Bangladesh, considering their recent performances on rank turners at home against overseas opponents. SA did well to win both games. They won the toss in one game and lost in another. But those were the crucial points for SA, and they went on to win the ICC WTC 2025 Final.

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A Role Reversal of Toss in Test Cricket – When Losing Toss Turned Into Winning Advantage

In 2013, SA went to the UAE (United Arab Emirates) to play a two-match test series against Pakistan. It was a role reversal in that series as the team that lost the toss went on to win the game. In the first test at Abu Dhabi, SA won the toss but lost the game. They won the 2nd test in Dubai after losing the toss. They bowled Pakistan out cheaply in the first inning. Then, the batters helped the team to get a huge first-inning lead. The series ended 1-1 after two tests.

SA’s Recent Show in Pakistan

SA have just played a 2-match test series against Pakistan in Pakistan, which ended 1-1. Pakistan’s captain, Shan Masood, has made the right call at the toss in both games. He has no hesitation to bat first in both games. SA lost the first game in Lahore, but made a remarkable comeback in the 2nd test at Rawalpindi. They won the 2nd test even after losing the toss. A first-inning lead of 71 runs made a huge difference for SA, thanks to Rabada and Co. lower lower-order runs.

Check the full scoreboard of all the matches in the series HERE

The Numbers Could Have Been Different for SA

After all the things, we can see the record book and say that SA has only won 5 tests in Asia since 2013. But, if we go deep into it, we can see that the toss played an important role in this period. SA batters failed to apply themselves on spinning wickets. Also, they should have scored big runs in that 2019 India series, where the pitches were good for batting. But if they had won a few more tosses, the numbers could be different. SA bowlers also failed to bowl the opposition out in fewer runs in the first inning (as per the conditions), and then, the batters showed their vulnerability against the opposition team’s spinners.

Coming to the toss factor, SA played in the 2nd and 4th innings of the games in the above-discussed games because the opposition team chose to bat first after winning the toss. There is no guarantee that if SA had won the toss, they could have won the matches as well. But maybe things will look different compared to now; the numbers look different. ‘Maybe’ if other teams played last in those games, chasing even 200+, they could have lost those games as well.

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SA Has to Apply Themselves Well in the Upcoming Test Series in Asia

All of the above discussion about the importance of toss in test cricket did not hide the fact that the South African batters are not comfortable against the spinners nowadays. They have had their struggles in the past and will continue to face challenges in the future as well. The Proteas batting line-up has to apply itself to give their bowlers enough runs on the board. They are coming into India for a 2-match test series, starting from November 14, 2025, in Kolkata. A lot of quality spinners like Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Washington Sundar are waiting for them.

The SA bowlers will also have to bowl well and try to put constant pressure on the Indian batters. Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer, and others are quality bowlers. They will look to make their mark in the toughest challenge in test cricket.

What do you think? Who will win the upcoming India vs South Africa two-match test series? Will India continue their dominance at home? Or will the current WTC Champions have their plans ready to challenge India? Also, keep an eye on the toss in the series? SA have not won a toss against India in India in the last 7 tests across the last 2 series. It will still be a challenging task for SA to beat India in India, even if they win the toss. But they need those tosses to get an early advantage. Let’s see how things panned out. Comment your prediction below. Thank you for reading. We hope you find it informative. Keep following sportschilly.com for the latest updates, stories, analysis, predictions, opinion, and more.

FAQs:-

(1) When will the India vs South Africa 2025 test series start?

A. The test series will start from November 14, 2025, in Kolkata.

(2) Who will captain South Africa in the upcoming test series against India?

A. Temba Bavuma is back in the squad after injury and will lead the side in the India series.

(3) What is the head-to-head between India and South Africa in tests?

A. As of November 05, 2025, India and South Africa have played a total of 44 tests. SA have won 18 tests while India have won 16. 10 games ended in a draw.

(4) Which batter has scored the most runs in IND vs SA tests?

A. For India, Sachin Tendulkar has scored the most runs (1741) in 25 tests. Jacques Kallis has scored the most runs (1734) for South Africa in 18 tests.

(5) Which bowler has taken the most wickets in IND vs SA tests?

A. For India, Anil Kumble has taken the most wickets (84) in 21 tests. Dale Steyn has taken the most wickets (65) for South Africa in 14 tests.