Rohit Sharma celebrates after India won the second Test match against South Africa, at the Newlands Cricket Ground, in Cape Town, South Africa, Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024.
Image: PTI
Fast-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah bagged a six-wicket haul and set the base for India beating South Africa by seven wickets inside two days at Newlands Cricket Ground here to end the two-match series 1-1.
Cape Town: Indian and South African players pose with the trophy at the end of the 2-match Test cricket series, known as The Freedom Series, between India and South Africa, in Cape Town, South Africa, Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024. The series ended in a 1-1 draw.
Chasing 79, India took only 12 overs to chase the target, with Yashasvi Jaiswal leading the charge by striking six boundaries in his aggressive 23-ball 28. Though India lost him, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli, captain Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer, who was troubled by short balls, hung around to hit boundaries and make India the first Asian team to win a Test match in Cape Town.
With the match decided in four and a half sessions, at 624 balls (107 overs), the Cape Town Test match between South Africa and India is now the shortest-ever completed game in the history of the longest format of the game.
Resuming from 62/3, the pitch offered excessive variable bounce and seam movement, Bumrah struck in the very first over of the day by having David Bedingham drive away from the body and nicked behind to wicketkeeper K.L Rahul.
Jasprit Bumrah celebrates the wicket of South Africa's batter David Bedingham during the second day of the second Test match between India and South Africa, at the Newlands Cricket Ground, in Cape Town, South Africa, Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024.
He lofted and cut off Mohammed Siraj for two boundaries and had a reprieve on 73 when Rahul dropped a simple catch. Markram took a liking to Prasidh Krishna, dispatching him for two fours and two sixes in an over yielding 20 runs.
Cape Town: South Africa's Aiden Markram celebrates with Kagiso Rabada after completing a century on the second day of the second Test cricket match between India and South Africa, at the Newlands Cricket Ground, in Cape Town, South Africa, Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024.
Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer celebrate after India won the second Test match against South Africa, at the Newlands Cricket Ground, in Cape Town, South Africa, Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024.
In the chase, Jaiswal went for the attack from the word go, throwing the kitchen sink at every ball to get runs aplenty. He and Rohit helped India reach 44/0 in just 33 balls, before Jaiswal holed out to mid-wicket, though he did his job. Gill was castled on low bounce by Rabada, while Kohli was strangled down leg off Jansen. Iyer’s winning boundary over mid-on then settled a topsy-turvy match in India’s favour.
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