India vs South Africa 2nd Test: 642 Balls, Done! India Demolishes South Africa in Historic Test Win

India vs South Africa 2nd Test: 642 Balls, Done! India Demolishes South Africa in Historic Test Win

The picturesque Newlands Cricket Ground witnessed a spectacle for the ages as India delivered a masterclass in pace bowling and batting dominance, crushing South Africa by seven wickets in the second Test. This whirlwind victory, achieved in a mere 642 deliveries, rewrites the record books as the shortest Test match ever played, eclipsing the previous mark of 683 balls set in 1932.

The Proteas, riding high on Aiden Markram’s valiant century in the first innings, seemed poised for a strong total at 210/5. However, the tide turned dramatically with the introduction of Jasprit Bumrah. The Indian pace spearhead unleashed a fiery spell, ripping through the South African middle order with his venomous swing and searing pace. He ended with six wickets for 61, his second five-for at Newlands, sending the hosts crashing to a paltry 211 all out.

India’s cricket captain, Rohit Sharma, has aimed at those who criticize Indian pitches after his team defeated South Africa by seven wickets in four and a half sessions of the five-day match, setting a record for the fastest Test match victory ever.

After the hosts won the first Test, India defeated South Africa in the second match of the two-match series in a 1-1 draw at Newlands on a seaming surface with inconsistent bounce.

Speaking to the media following the victory in Cape Town on Thursday, Rohit asserted that India is subjected to unfair criticism and demanded an examination of the rating system for pitches.

With the help of player of the match Mohammed Siraj, who took six wickets for 15 runs in the first innings, India’s victory made the Test match the shortest in history in terms of balls bowled in a win. The visitors had set the tone when they bowled the home team out for 55 before lunch on day one.

In both innings, Markram’s teammates’ next-best total was 15.

Although Rohit deemed the circumstances hazardous, he clarified that he had no issue playing on them as long as it was acknowledged that Indian pitches would turn from the start.

“As long as everyone in India keeps their mouth shut and no one talks about the pitches there, I don’t mind being on pitches like this,” Rohit said to reporters.

“You came here (to South Africa) to challenge yourself, and you must face up to it, even though it is dangerous.”

Rohit thinks that pitch evaluations by match officials around the world are inconsistent.

“People in India say, ‘Oh, there is a puff of dust,’ when it turns on the first day.” Especially as match officials, we must maintain our objectivity. I would like to see the ratings for the pitches.

“It still amazes me that Ahmedabad’s pitch for the World Cup of Cricket was ranked worse than expected. There, a player named Travis Head from Australia scored a hundred. Pitch evaluations must be made based on what they observe, not on nationality.

According to Rohit, a pitch’s initial rating shouldn’t alter dependent on its spin or seam.

“People dislike Indian pitches because they spin from the first ball, even though we are aware of this. Is it okay, though, if it seams from ball one? That isn’t just.

Low-scoring performance

While everything was going on, South Africa’s acting captain, Dean Elgar, announced that he had “amazing memories” from his time playing international cricket despite ending his Test career on the losing side.

After the first day’s 23 wickets fell, Aiden Markram and India’s Jasprit Bumrah engaged in combat on the second morning.

A wicket characterized by pace, seam movement, and irregular bounce caused batters to struggle throughout the match, except Markram, who scored 106 runs off 103 balls in South Africa’s second innings of 176.

When the batsman edged a drive on run 71 and wicketkeeper KL Rahul could not hold a catch above his head, the Indian bowler, who had taken six for 61, was not able to remove Markram from the game.

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Markram defied a surface where Virat Kohli’s 46 in India’s opening innings was the next-highest individual score, but by lunchtime, South Africa had been bowled out for 176 runs in their second innings. India now had a difficult 79-run chase on a pitch with inconsistent bounce.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, the opener, amassed a rapid 28 runs off of 23 balls, including six boundaries. He was apprehended by Nandre Burger at the long leg.

Despite two mishandled catches, Rohit finished the innings unbeaten at 17 not out.

After taking 10 wickets from Shubman Gill, Kagiso Rabada concluded the brief series with 11 wickets.

Just four runs separated India from only their sixth victory on South African territory when Marco Jansen stole a 12-run innings from Virat Kohli. Shreyas Iyer smashed a boundary five balls later to complete the historic triumph.