India vs South Africa Test Series: Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla Approach Milestones

After tasting his first overseas win in Sri Lanka, India's Test captain Virat Kohli will be up against a buoyant South African team in the four-Test series starting in Mohali on Thursday.(Kohli & Co. Look for Redemption)

Following are some statistical highlights and approaching milestones ahead of the series:

# Virat Kohli will become the seventh Indian captain to lead against South Africa, while Hashim Amla will become the fifth South African captain to lead the Proteas against India.(Steyn Takes Aim on Indian Pitches)

# AB de Villiers has played 98 Tests prior to the start of this series. The second Test in Bangalore will be his 100th match. He would then become the 63rd cricketer to play 100-plus Test matches. He will also become the seventh South African to play 100-plus Tests. Others are Jacques Kallis (165), Mark Boucher (146), Graeme Smith (116), Shaun Pollock (108), Gary Kirsten (101) and Makhya Ntini (101).

# De Villiers has an aggregate of 865 runs against India. He requires 135 more runs for his 1000 runs. If he gets them, he would then become the third South African batsman to total 1000-plus runs against India. Others are Kallis (1734) and Amla (1207). De Villiers will also become the sixth batsman to total 1000-plus runs in India-South Africa Tests.(Dominant South Africa Seek India's Test Scalp)

# Amla has scored five centuries against India prior to the start of the series. He needs two more centuries to share the record of most centuries scored by a South African batsman against India which is held by Kallis, who has scored seven centuries against India.

# Amla has scored nine fifties against India prior to the start of the series. He needs one more fifty for his 10th fifty. If he gets them, he would then become the second South African batsman to score ten or more fifties against India after Kallis, who has 12.(Five Talking Points)

# This Test series will be played with new captains and new wicket-keepers. For India, Kohli will be skipper while Wriddhiman Saha will keep wickets. For South Africa, it will be Amla and Dane Vilas.

# Morne Morkel has taken 36 wickets against India. He needs four more wickets for his 40 wickets. If he gets them, he would then become the fourth South African bowler to capture 40- plus wickets against India. Others are - Dale Steyn (63), Allan Donald (57) and Shaun Pollock (52).(India Eye No. 2 Spot)

(With inputs from HR Gopala Krishna)