India finally broke their jinx at the Newlands Cricket Ground with a historic first-ever Test victory against South Africa in Cape Town. The best previous outcomes were draws in 1993 and 2011, while the city of Cape Town has always proved to be an elusive win for India, often losing to South Africa. Until this victory, India had drawn two Tests and lost three, failing to win at Cape Town.
Under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, the Indian side overcame a first-inning batting collapse to secure a series-leveling 7-wicket win over South Africa in Cape Town. A century by Aiden Markram of South Africa was not enough as Jasprit Bumrah stunned everyone with a six-wicket haul that dismantled the South African batting lineup for just 176 runs in their second innings. India had a modest target of 79 runs to seal the victory and level the series.
Though the conditions of the Newlands pitch might be challenging against the Indian batsmen’s attack, who survived the record number of wickets on the first day of the innings, the bowling unit for India was quite strong, particularly Mohammed Siraj with his career-best figures and Bumrah‘s consistent show, which really tested the combinations of the struggling South African team in forming important partnerships
South Africa’s woes deepened with a disastrous batting collapse, especially with a lowly first-innings score of 55, the lowest they had ever managed since 1932. India capitalized on this weakness with strong contributions from the top order, with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli playing some of the best cricket of their lives to provide a solid platform for this historic victory.
