Jasprit Bumrah’s 6 for 61 paved the way for India’s seven-wicket win on the second day of the second Test in Cape Town, helping them level the two-match series 1-1.
After South Africa were bowled out for 176 in their second innings, India chased down the required 79 runs an hour before tea. Lasting just 107 overs, this was the shortest Test ever to produce a result. It was also India’s first Test win at Newlands in seven attempts.
But before all that, Aiden Markram scored a stunning hundred – 106 off 103 balls. It was the first time in Test history that a batter scored a hundred where none of his team-mates reached 20 in either innings; Kyle Verreynne’s 15 in the first innings was the next best for South Africa. Unfortunately for Markram and stand-in captain Dean Elgar, who retires after this Test, it ended in a losing cause.
South Africa didn’t have a great start to the day. Resuming on 62 for 3, they lost a wicket in the first over itself. David Bedingham was looking to be positive and went for an on-the-up drive against Bumrah only to edge it to the wicketkeeper.
Verreynne didn’t last long either. Trying to pull Bumrah, he skied one towards mid-on where Mohammed Siraj took the catch. Bumrah completed his five-for when he had Keshav Maharaj caught at gully, leaving South Africa 111 for 7.
Markram, though, seemed to be in a different zone altogether and played some stunning shots on this treacherous pitch. Of his 106 runs, 47 came in the arc between backward point and extra cover. Whenever the India seamers pitched the ball slightly full, he brought out the cover drive. When it was on the shorter side, he got on the top of the bounce and punched it through cover-point, forcing India to put a sweeper cover in place.
Markram reached his fifty off 68 balls, and took just 31 more to reach his seventh Test hundred. En route, he smashed Prasidh Krishna for two sixes and two fours in a 20-run over. He and Kagiso Rabada added 51 for the eighth wicket; Rabada’s contribution was 2.
He also enjoyed a slice of luck when KL Rahul dropped him off Bumrah on 73. Eventually, it was Siraj who sent Markram back when, going for yet another big hit, the batter holed out to long-off.
Rabada fell in the next over, and 14 runs later, the innings came to an end.
Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal knew they needed to attack straightaway to deny South Africa a sniff. Not many shots came from the middle of the bat, but they had added 44 in 5.4 overs when Nandre Burger removed Jaiswal. Trying to pull a short ball, Jaiswal slipped and his pad brushed the stumps. While the bails didn’t come off, he was caught at deep-backward square leg.
Shubman Gill became a victim of low bounce, and Virat Kohli was caught down the leg side, before Shreyas Iyer hit the winning four.
Brief scores:
India 153 (Virat Kohli 46, Rohit Sharma 39; Lungi Ngidi 3-30, Kagasio Rabada 3-38, Nandre Burger 3-42) and 80 for 3 (Yashavi Jaiswal 28, Marco Jansen 1-15) beat South Africa 55 (Kyle Verreynne 15, Mohammed Siraj 6-15) and 176 (Aiden Markram 106, Jasprit Bumrah 6-61) by seven wickets
(Cricinfo)
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