At the end of it, there was no separating both India and South Africa in the two-match Test series as both sides picked up one victory each. After a resounding innings victory in the first Test, the South African batters were left speechless by the brilliance of Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah in Newlands as India circled off the match inside five sessions.
Mohammed Siraj was the star for Rohit Sharma’s team in the first innings, where he returned with six wickets in only nine overs and ensured the hosts were bundled out in one session. Siraj was able to extract the extra bounce with precision, leaving the South African batters with no answers and consistently found their edges.
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To add a cherry on top, Jasprit Bumrah picked up two wickets and debutant Mukesh Kumar added a couple to his tally as well, without conceding a run. After getting bowled out for their lowest total in Tests after their return to international cricket in 1992, the Proteas bowlers did well to keep India in check.
India defeat South Africa in series draw
Some early wickets kept the visiting side under pressure, but a valiant effort from Virat Kohli (46 off 59 balls) kept the scorecard moving. However, a mighty collapse from 153/4 to losing 153/10 gave South Africa some breathing space. Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burger and Lungi Ngidi picked up three wickets each to restrict India’s lead to 98 runs.
The track continued to make batters’ life difficult as Jasprit Bumrah now took the mantle in the second innings. It began with the wicket of Dean Elgar, who couldn’t make a big contribution in his final Test but walked off to a rousing reception from the crowd and the opposition.
While wickets continued to tumble at one end, a heroic innings from Aiden Markram kept pushing South Africa ahead. He took his chances and batted at a healthy strike-rate as he realised this match wouldn’t last long. Bumrah, meanwhile, with his menacing spell, ensured none of the middle order batters got going. Bumrah finished with 6/61, while Markram completed a magnificent century against the run of play to ensure South Africa could score 176 runs on the board.
Chasing 79 runs, India lost three wickets but got there in 12 overs. With the Test match lasting only 107 overs, it is also the shortest completed Test in the format’s history. This is only the second time India managed a Test series draw in South Africa, having previously done so in 2010.
Earlier in the first Test, a Dean Elgar special helped South Africa run through India and win by an innings and 32 runs. Elgar scored 185 off 287 deliveries, helping his side score 408 runs in response to India’s 245 in the first innings. Despite Kohli scoring a valiant 76 off 82 balls, India could only muster 131 runs as the trio of Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burger and Marco Jansen dismantled their batting line-up.
This is also the first time India return from a South Africa tour without losing a series. After a 1-1 result in the three-match T20I series, KL Rahul-led India picked up a 2-1 win in the ODI series.
