On the second day of the second Test, India stunned South Africa by seven wickets to tie the two-match series at one. Notably, this was India’s sixth try at winning at Cape Town’s Newlands Cricket Ground and their first victory there.
South Africa’s acting captain, Dean Elgar, won the toss and chose to bat first in the second game. Their choice backfired as Mohammed Siraj captured an incredible six wickets, blotting them out for a meager 55 runs. India struggled in their first inning, getting bowled out for just 153 runs, despite their outstanding bowling performance. Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Nandre Burger each took three wickets for the Proteas.
South Africa set a goal of 79 runs after struggling to achieve only 176 runs in the third inning. Jasprit Bumrah, who finished with figures of 6/61, was the most effective bowler in the third inning. The visitors then lost three wickets but managed to chase down the score.
The following are the match’s talking points:
1. Mohammed Siraj’s best-ever six-wicket performance
In the first innings of the second Test, Mohammed Siraj captured a career-high six wickets for fifteen runs, making him an important player for India. In the second innings of South Africa’s innings, he picked up one more wicket, dismissing centurion Aiden Markram.
2. In the second Test, Jasprit Bumrah takes eight wickets.
Jasprit Bumrah, the elite pacesman from India, claimed eight wickets in all, two in the opening and six in the third. With four wickets at 69 in the first Test, he performed admirably as well.
3. Aiden Markram achieved incredible
Aiden Markarm opened the scoring for South Africa in their second inning with a magnificent century. After hitting Mohammed Siraj’s pitch high, he concluded his 103-ball innings at 106 by long off, only to find Rohit Sharma.
The losing captain, Dean Elgar, South Africa, said:
A tough one for us. Pretty positive coming into this game. India bowled fantastically and used the conditions. Still a lot of positives for the young players that we have within the side. 2-0 would have been really nice, still managed 1-1, proud of the boys. The way the bowlers bowled in the series and the way Aiden batted in the second innings is something out of the world.(On the pitch) It was a bit of a ripper. Naked eye, it looked like it’s going to be a nice one. It played totally different to what everyone thought. We were on the receiving end, big learning curve for us. If you ask Rohit, he’d have batted first. They just out-skilled us in that first session.
A great feet. In Centurion, we had to learn from the mistakes. We came back very well, especially our bowlers. Had some plans and the boys got rewarded. We applied ourselves, we batted well to get a 100-run lead, not pleasing to see the last six wickets. We knew that it’s going to be a short game, we knew ever run matters, to get that lead was very important. (On Siraj) Very special, something you don;t get to see very often. We spoke about keeping things simple and that’s what happened. The pitch did the rest. Lot of credit to Siraj, Bumrah, Mukesh and Prasidh.
Player of the Match, Mohammed Siraj, India, said:
It’s my best figures in Test career. I tried to be consistent and hit the right areas. I wasn’t consistent in the previous match and that’s why we leaked a lot of runs. Worked hard on consistency and tried to be relentless with my lengths. When we play together, he (Bumrah) gets the message earlier. We try to analyse the wicket quicker. (Message to the fans) Thank you so much, keep supporting.
Player of the Series, Jasprit Bumrah, India, said:
This ground will always hold a special place in my heart. The journey started here, always fond memories. Very happy it went well today. That journey started in 2018 – our bowling unit was experienced and we wanted to make an impact. In India, the spinners do a lot more work. Our team is also going through a transition.
Lot of bowlers have been changed, the message is the team, keep fighting. We fought it out in the last game as well. Requires a lot of patience. We are very happy that we were able to do it in this game. I didn’t expect the game to go this fast. We wanted to bat first as well. Test cricket gives you surprises. Great series.
Player of the Series, Dean Elgar, South Africa, said:
I would have liked to do more in this game. Still very proud of my performance I had in Centurion. Nice to contribute to a winning cause. Some really tough conditions throughout. It (3-Test series) would have been fantastic. You want to challenge yourself, Bumrah is world-class, he deserves this award. You want to push yourself to limits. Glad that I don;t have to face these guys again. Fond memories. We’ve come a long way. Very grateful to play against these guys. A lot of good memories, I received it (green cap) in 2012, I have missed only one series. It’s got a special place. Only leaves for duty, that’s done and dusted.
India
