India registered a famous win and also the shortest Test match in the history of red-ball cricket in the second Test against South Africa. The Indian cricket team wrapped up the game at Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town with 7 wickets in hand on Day 2 itself. This was India’s first-ever win in Cape Town in 7 attempts.
The second Test between India and South Africa at Newlands in Cape Town also goes down to be the shortest Test match played ever in the history of Test Cricket.
The Test concluded in 107 overs, which is equivalent to 642 balls. South African captain, Dean Elgar won the toss and opted to bat first. India came into the game on the back of an innings and 32-run defeat in the first Test match.
They needed to win the second Test to level the series. Rohit Sharma played one extra bowler in Mukesh Kumar in place of an all-rounder in Shardul Thakur to strengthen their bowling unit and it worked as well.
Indian Pacers Headlined Both Days
The bowling attack spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah was right on the money. Right from day 1, the pitch was a graveyard for the batters with a lot of variable bounce and seam movement.
Indian bowlers learned from their mistakes in the previous Test and hit the right lengths. Day 1 turned out to be a day to remember for Mohammad Siraj, who finished with outstanding figures of 6 for 15 in just 9 overs. He consistently hit the right lengths and was rewarded as well.
Once again, the Indian pacer removed Aiden Markram in the Test series with a beautiful outswinger before accounting for Dean Elgar’s wicket with the one that nipped back slightly in and the left-hander had chopped onto his stumps. Both the openers had departed for just 8 runs on the board.
Siraj and Mukesh Kumar Deepen SA’s Damage
Jasprit Bumrah then had debutant Tristan Stubbs’s wicket in the 9th over and in the very next over, M Siraj had Tony de Zorzi caught behind the stumps.
Bedingham, who had a good outing in his debut Test, couldn’t do much either. He made 12 off 17 deliveries, while Verreynne top-scored for the side with 15 off 30 balls.
Mukesh Kumar, playing his first Test, also chipped in with two wickets of Rabada and Maharaj as India bundled out South Africa for 55 runs on the board. South Africa were bowled out in 23.2 overs.
India Seal Victory With 7 Wickets In Hand
In reply, India lost Yashasvi Jaiswal (0) in the 3rd over but Rohit Sharma and Gill steadied things by quickly adding 55 runs for the second wicket. Both of them, however, couldn’t convert that start into a big score.
Nandre Burger accounted for the wickets of Rohit (39) and Gill (36) to keep South Africa in the hunt. The left-hander also sent Shreyas Iyer for nought to leave India at 110 for 4. KL Rahul and Virat Kohli further added 43 runs to take the total to 153 but what followed thereafter was quite unbelievable.
Bowling the 34th over, Lungi Ngidi took three wickets of KL Rahul, Jadeja, and Bumrah in a single over without giving a single run. On the first ball of the next over, Rabada had Kohli (46) caught at slips, followed by Siraj and Mukesh Kumar’s wickets on the fourth and fifth balls of the same over.
In the space of 11 balls, India lost 6 wickets without scoring a single run and, thus, were bowled out for 153.
Markram’s 106* runs goes in vain
Batting on that pitch at Cape Town wasn’t easy but Markram, who had failed in the three innings in the Test series, came with a sheer determination to bat long in his final innings.
He played one of the best innings of his Test career and went on to score a hundred on a pitch where batters were struggling to even put bat on the ball. The others were losing their wickets in quick succession. Jasprit Bumrah improved his lengths in the second innings and ran through South Africa’s middle-order.
While Markam held one end together, wickets were falling at the other end. There were only three players with double-digit scores but Markram’s sensational knock of 106 off 103 balls meant South Africa managed to their way to 176 runs in their second innings, setting a target of 79 runs for India to chase.
Jasprit Bumrah starred with the ball, picking 6 for 61 in 13.5overs. A target of 79 was never going to be enough as Yashasvi Jaiswal’s quickfire cameo of 28 off 23 tilted the game completely in favour of India. South Africa managed to pick up three wickets but India chased the total easily in 12 overs.
Top 5 Shortest Test Matches In History
- 642 balls – South Africa vs India (Cape Town, 2024); winner – India
- 656 balls – Australia vs South Africa (Melbourne, 1932); winner – Australia
- 672 balls – West Indies vs England (Barbados, 1935); winner – England
- 788 balls – England vs Australia (Manchester, 1888); winner – England
- 792 balls – England vs Australia (Lord’s, 1888); winner – Australia
Read More: T20 World Cup 2024 Schedule To Likely Be Out on January 8
