India started their 2024 season with an impressive victory against South Africa at Cape Town’s Newlands Stadium on Thursday, January 4. The win levelled the two-match series at 1-1, following the hosts’ victory in the opening game in Centurion. In pursuit of a modest target of 79, India lost three wickets before Shreyas Iyer (4*) secured the win with a boundary over long-on. Captain Rohit Sharma finished unbeaten on 17.
A rare five-session game with challenging bounce saw India win, placing them atop the World Test Championship 2023-25 table, surpassing South Africa with 54.16% points. India, after limiting South Africa to 55 in the first innings, secured a 98-run lead. Aiden Markram’s century set India a target of 79, and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s quick 28 helped secure a convincing win.
Here are the five notable records broken in India’s seven-wicket victory in the 2nd Test vs SA:
#5 Shortest ever Test match (by balls bowled)
The second Test between India and South Africa will be remembered as the briefest in history, concluding in one-and-a-half days and spanning just five sessions.
The Test match concluded with only 107 overs (642 balls), setting a world record for the fewest balls bowled in a Test match to determine a result.
The second Test between India and South Africa broke a 92-year-old record established in 1932 between South Africa and Australia, which lasted for 656 balls at Melbourne.
#4 First Asian team to win a Test match in Cape Town
It was a crucial match for the Men in Blue, who had never won a Test at Cape Town before. However, in their seventh attempt, India secured a vital victory.
India’s seven-wicket triumph on Thursday establishes them as the first Asian team to win a Test match at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town.
Pakistan and Sri Lanka have each participated in four Test matches at the venue, losing all of them. In Cape Town, India now holds a record of one win, four losses, and two draws after seven Tests.
#3 Second-highest wickets on Test match Day 1
A dramatic day in Test cricket witnessed 23 wickets falling on Day 1 of the second Test between India and South Africa. Opting to bat, the hosts struggled against Indian pacers, with Mohammed Siraj claiming a career-best 6/15, resulting in all 10 South African wickets falling in the first session.
Responding to South Africa’s innings, India faced a collapse, getting all-out for 153 in 34.5 overs, losing their final 6 wickets without adding any runs. South Africa had a 17-over batting stint in the third session and, by the close of play, had lost three wickets.
A total of 23 wickets tumbled on the day, marking the second-highest number of wickets on the first day of any history of the Test. The record for the most wickets on Day 1 of a Test match is held by Australia and England, with 25 wickets falling in Melbourne in 1902.
#2 The first occurrence of 7 players scoring zero runs in a Test inning
Despite securing an early lead in the first innings, Team India found themselves in a precarious situation as they lost their final 6 wickets dramatically on Day 1. Starting from 153/4, they were dismissed for the same score, with six batters recording ducks.
The sequence began with Yashasvi Jaiswal’s dismissal for a duck off Kagiso Rabada’s delivery. India, initially at 110/3, faced a strong fightback from South Africa.
Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna were dismissed for ducks, and Mukesh Kumar remained unbeaten on zero. This marks the first time in Test history that seven Indian players failed to score a single run.
#1 The lowest team score against India in Test matches
A new record was established in the match as the team recorded its all-time lowest total against India in a Test match. South Africa only scored 55 runs in their first innings, marking the lowest total by any team against India in their 92-year history. The previous record was held by New Zealand, who managed only 62 runs in their first innings in Mumbai in 2021.
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