In an eventful, record Test match that lasted barely 2 full days (the shortest completed Test match in history!), Team India on Thursday sealed a 7-wicket win over South Africa. Trailing 0-1 in the 2-match series, the Rohit Sharma-led side bounced back to make the most of a lively Cape Town wicket and levelled the series 1-1.
This is the first time India have won a Test at the Newlands Stadium - a record among many others that were created during the match, including the visitors also becoming the first Asian team to do so. India were faced with a target of 79 in the fourth innings, and the visitors successfully chased it down in 12 overs, with Shreyas Iyer hitting the winning runs with a four over mid-on.
𝘛𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘪 𝘊𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘛𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘬𝘢 𝘨𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥! 🔥🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/1DeZq8xz05
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) January 4, 2024
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj stood out in India's bowling attack, each securing a fifer across the two innings. Siraj's remarkable 6/15 in the first innings was pivotal in bundling out the Proteas for just 55 runs. Following up, Bumrah's 6/61 in the second innings played a significant role in confining South Africa to a total of 176.
Bumrah was particularly effective on the second day's morning session, claiming five out of the seven wickets that fell, setting up India for a swift chase. modest target of 78 in just 12 overs. Despite South Africa's challenging position, Aiden Markram's brilliant century off 99 balls briefly kindled the possibility of a comeback. Yet, his dismissal by Siraj dashed any remaining prospects for the South African side that had resumed the day at 62/3.
Reflecting on the match-winning performance of his team, Indian captain Rohit Sharma said (as reported by Cricbuzz):
"A great feat. In Centurion, we had to learn from the mistakes we made in that Test. We came back pretty well, especially our bowlers. In the last 4-5 years, we have become a very good travelling team. We've played a lot of good cricket outside India, we take a lot of pride in our performance outside India. We would have liked to win the series. You cannot get everything."
Spirit of Cricket 👏#TeamIndia | #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/MkW3IiPraY
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 4, 2024
Picture credit: BCCI