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Shortest Test, Sweetest Win

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2024-01-05 03:42:38

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack

India came up trumps in what was the shortest Test match of all time, finishing in less than five sessions with just 642 balls being bowled. Adrian Markram (106) tried hard to anchor the South African second innings but got little support at the other end. It was almost as if he was batting on a different strip than all the other batters, Indians included. Rohit Sharma also made a mistake in not giving a bowl to Md Siraj up front on Day 2, allowing Markram to have it easy against Mukesh Kumar. In a match that had seen dramatic collapses (with the last six Indian wickets falling in a space of 11 balls without a single run being added in the first innings), a good lead by the Proteas would have turned things tricky for the Indians. But in the end, the 78-run lead was not enough and although India lost three wickets, the result was not in doubt after Yashasvi Jaiswal (28 in 23 balls) added 44 runs for the first wicket with Rohit Sharma (16 not out). For the record, South Africa made 55 and 176 while India made 153 and 80 for 3 to win the match by 7 wickets. It was India's first Test win at the Newlands, Cape Town. The series was drawn 1-1, leaving fans yearning for more. Actually, it is incomprehensible why 2-Test series' are played and why not 3-Test ones to give the teams a chance to come up with a clear winner.

It was satisfying that Indian pacers performed better than the home bowlers in conditions that the latter were more familiar with. Md Siraj (6 for 15) in the first innings bowled a dream spell that was devastating and that demoralized the opposition. To be out for just 55 in a Test on the first day before lunch is something from which a team seldom recovers from, especially when the pitch is aiding the pacers. India will also not forget in a hurry the carnage in which it lost 6 wickets without adding a single run to the score in a space of just 11 balls. Going well at 153 for 4 and looking to build a strong lead to force an innings win, India were suddenly 153 all out and the match was wide open. But Jasprit Bumrah bowled brilliantly on Day 2 and despite Markram's heroics, the South Africans did not really make a match of it. In the end, Indian bowlers powered the team to a historic win that will be cherished for a long time. 

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