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India in control after wickets tumble on opening day of second test

cricket03 January 2024 15:58| © MWP
By:Neil Manthorp
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An astonishing first day’s play of the second test match between South Africa and India saw 23 wickets fall as the hosts were dismissed for 55 before lunch and limped to 62-3 by the close of play having dismissed the tourists for 153.

The home side still trail by 36-runs with seven second-innings wickets remaining.

Mohammed Siraj claimed six wickets in the first session in an unbroken nine-over spell to finish with 9-3-15-6 as they embarrassed their hosts after they chose to bat first.

Siraj, like all of the fast bowlers, made the most of favourable bowling conditions as 18 wickets fell to catches by the wicketkeeper or slip cordon with lavish bounce and seam movement on a moist and well-grassed pitch.

Jasprit Bumrah (8-1-25-2) and Mukesh Kumar claimed a brace apiece in South Africa’s first innings, Mukesh without conceding a run for the remarkable analysis of 2.2-2-0-2.

It was South Africa’s lowest total against India and their lowest against all opposition in the post-isolation era surpassing, or undermining, the 73 all out against Sri Lanka in Galle in 2018. It is their lowest total at home since 1992.

India then suffered an astonishing collapse, losing their final six wickets in just 11 balls without scoring a run to be dismissed for 153 shortly after tea to earn a first-innings lead of 98 which seemed likely to be considerably more when they reached 153-4.

Lungi Ngidi (3-30) claimed three wickets in five balls to spark the collapse which also featured two wickets for Kagiso Rabada (3-38) and a comical run out.

KL Rahul (8) edged a cut shot against Ngidi to ‘keeper Kyle Verreynne, Ravindra Jadeja edged his second ball to Marco Jansen in the gully and Bumrah (0) did likewise giving Jansen his fourth catch in the gully.

FAILED DISMALLY

Virat Kohli’s top score of 46 from 59 balls (6x4, 1x6) ended with an edge to Aiden Markram at slip against Rabada, Siraj (0) meandered aimlessly out of his crease to be run out by Nandre Burger and Prasidh Krishna provided Markram with another slip catch to end the innings.

Burger (8-2-42-3) had claimed three quick wickets before tea to reduce India to 111-4 but there was little to suggest the carnage which was to follow, despite South Africa’s humiliation before lunch.

Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill pushed their side into a first-innings lead in just the tenth over before left-armer Burger forced South Africa back into the contest.

Rohit edged a low catch to Jansen having faced just 50 balls for his 39 with seven elegant boundaries, three more than South Africa’s batters managed between them.

Gill fell to the same combination with Jansen diving to his left to claim the catch for 36 from 55 balls (5x4) and Shreyas Iyer (0) feathered the thinnest of edges to ‘keeper Verreynne.

Earlier, only two South African batsmen reached double figures as they failed dismally to cope with a well-grassed pitch offering pace, bounce and generous seam movement.

David Bedingham (12) collected the first two boundaries of the innings before receiving an unplayable delivery from Siraj which leapt alarmingly to hit the shoulder of the bat and fly to Yashasvi Jaiswal at third slip and Verreynne top-scored with 15 from 30 balls (1x4) before edging a lavish drive against Siraj.

Dean Elgar (4 and 12) suffered the ignominy of being dismissed twice in the day in his final test before retirement as did Toni de Zorzi (2 and 1) and debutant Tristan Stubbs (3 and 1).

Opener Markram will resume on 36* on the second morning in the company of Bedingham, unbeaten on seven.

SOUTH AFRICA: Dean Elgar (captain), Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne(w), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi

INDIA: Rohit Sharma(c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Mukesh Kumar

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