On Thursday, India’s Rohit Sharma-led team made history with a clinical 7-wicket victory over South Africa at Newlands in Cape Town. India became the first Asian side to win a Test match at the legendary stadium. India had failed to win at Newlands in their previous six efforts, with two draws and four defeats. However, a magnificent bowling effort from Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah throughout both innings propelled India to a historic victory over the Proteas, tying the two-match series 1-1.
Bumrah tortured the South African batters after the hosts opened their second innings on Day 2 with his 9th Test five-wicket haul inside the opening hour of play, leaving the hosts in shambles. Bumrah bowled David Bedingham for 11 on Day 2 before rampaging through the rest of South Africa’s batting line-up, taking the wickets of Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, and Keshav Maharaj to complete his fifer, his third in South African Tests.
Bumrah then dismissed Lungi Ngidi on the final ball of the 37th over to end South Africa’s second innings on 176, giving the hosts a 78-run lead. Bumrah completed with stats of 6/61 in 13.5 overs, equaling Javagal Srinath’s record for most fifers by an Indian bowler in South African Tests. He also surpassed Shane Warne as the visiting bowler with the most wickets in Cape Town.
India’s record in Tests at Newlands, Cape Town
Matches played – 7
Won – 1
Drawn – 2
Lost – 4
Rohit, Jaiswal set the stage for convincing win
Bumrah’s devastating spell put India in command at the outset of their second innings, with only 79 runs to chase. Their batters did not disappoint in the run chase, with openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and skipper Rohit leading the way. Despite the inconsistent bounce of the pitch, the duo battled fearlessly against the Proteas pacers and shared a 44-run opening stand to set up India’s decisive triumph.
Jaiswal and Rohit set the tone early on with some attacking shots as they attacked the South African pacers. Jaiswal was particularly bold in his approach, smacking six boundaries in his quickfire 28 off just 23 balls to help the hosts win. Rohit stayed unbeaten on 17 until the end, convincingly leading India to a historic triumph.
Siraz, Bumrah sizzle with the ball
While Bumrah was devastating with the ball in South Africa’s second innings, Mohammed Siraj delivered a dangerous spell in the hosts’ first innings. Siraj unleashed one of the finest new-ball spells in recent memory against the hosts. Siraj concluded with a career-best 6/15 in 9 overs to help India bowl out the Proteas for just 55 runs, the lowest total by any side against India in Tests.
On Day 1, Siraj’s spectacular session set the tone for India, who lost a remarkable 23 wickets across three innings. After dismissing South Africa for 55 runs, India was bowled out for 153 runs in their first innings, despite a great start from Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, as well as a gutsy 46-run knock from Kohli. India’s batting collapse was dramatic, with the team losing six wickets without scoring in 11 deliveries to move from 153/4 to 153 all out in record time.
India squandered an opportunity to build a large lead, but the 98-run lead was plenty for the visitors in the end, as the story stayed the same for South Africa in their second innings. Aiden Markram was the lone warrior with a superb 101-run knock as the rest of South Africa’s batting lineup failed to rise to the occasion.
With the win, India levelled the two-match series at 1-1, making Rohit the second Indian captain, after the legendary MS Dhoni, to draw a Test series in South Africa.
