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"If 20 Wickets Fell On Day 1 In India": Indian Star's Dig At Pitch Critics

As a whopping 23 wickets fell on Day 1 of the second Test between India and South Africa in Cape Town, the world of social media is going ga-ga over the nature of pitch used in the match. Whenever an early result is obtained in a Test match in India, the 'pitch critics' often call out the imbalance between the bat and the ball. However, no such remark has been made yet about the Newlands wicket. Indian cricketer Mayank Agarwal, reacting to the developments in South Africa, wondered what would've happened had 20 wickets fell on the first day of a Test match in India.

"What if 20 wickets fell on day 1 in India," Agarwal posted on X (formerly Twitter), taking a subtle dig at those who often criticse India's spin friendly wickets.

What if 20 wickets fell on day 1 in India #INDvsSA

— Mayank Agarwal (@mayankcricket) January 3, 2024

Former India cricketer, Aakash Chopra, also took a subtle dig at the Newlands pitch, saying he expects the match to be over on teh second day.

"We have again taken three wickets (in the second innings). We are still well ahead in the game. The match will be over on the second day. Why do you keep five-day Test matches? The first match lasted three days and the second match will last two days," he said on his YouTube channel.

"I hope that does not happen, but the only chance for India to lose is if South Africa get a 150-run lead. Other than that, I feel we are in the driver's seat. So the expectation is that when this match ends, the series would be tied at 1-1 and we would have registered our first-ever win in a Cape Town Test," he added.

Chopra also lauded Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj who bagged a six-wicket haul in the first innings, saying that the best of Siraj is "magical".

"You have to credit the Indian bowling for the way they bowled, especially Mohammed Siraj. This is what makes Siraj extremely special. The best of Miyan Magic is actually magical," said Chopra.

"When he bowled against Sri Lanka - six wickets, and when he bowled here - six wickets. If you see his action, he falls slightly towards the left and it seems the ball would come in but the ball pitches and goes away. The ball also shapes away a little in the air. So there he kept picking up wickets," he added.

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"We Will Win The Match Easily If...": Sourav Ganguly On IND vs SA 2nd Test

Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday praised India's bowling attack against South Africa in the second Test match in Cape Town and said that if the visitors perform well with the bat then they will easily win the long-format game. Ganguly met the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Vishnu Deo Sai in Raipur after getting an invitation from him. While speaking to the press, Ganguly said that he was sad after the 'Men in Blue' lost the ODI World Cup 2023 final match against Australia after displaying a magnificent performance throughout the tournament.

He also pointed out India's stellar performance in the second Test match against the Proteas.

"I am sad that we could not win the World Cup after playing such a good cricket, but we will win in the future. The team has got a lot of quality. Look how they dismissed South Africa at 55 in Cape Town. If they perform well with the bat then we will win the Test match easily. We have also won the ODI series against South Africa," Ganguly said.

In the second Test match against South Africa, Mohammed Siraj's six-wicket haul helped India to bundle the hosts at 55/10 in the first inning on day one.

He added that "it was nice" meeting the CM for the first time. The former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president also praised the cricket facilities of the new stadium in Raipur. He also asked the CM Vishnu Deo to promote cricket in the state.

"I was happy to meet the CM Vishnu Deo Sai, and this was the first time we met so it was nice. When I was the President of the BCCI, India played against New Zealand over here in Chhattisgarh. It's a new stadium and also a new state for the Ranji Trophy. The facilities are also good here. I have also asked the CM to promote cricket in the state. This was the first time I met CM and I did not expect that I would get an invitation from him," he added.

When asked about the upcoming T20 World Cup, he said that the best team would be picked and hoped that the 'Men in Blue' would perform well in the tournament.

"Still a lot of time left for the T20 World Cup. India has many good players and hopefully, the best team will be selected and we will perform well in the tournament," he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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2nd Test: Siraj Steals Show Before India Suffer Dramatic Batting Collapse

Mohammed Siraj got six wickets in a breathtakingly menacing morning spell but to his horror found India losing six wickets in a space of eleven balls in the final session before regaining the advantage against South Africa on a rivetting day one of the second Test in Cape Town. After Siraj's career-best 6/15 decimated South Africa for their lowest post-apartheid score of 55, India were 153 for 4 before losing six wickets without addition of single run in a space of 11 deliveries to end with a 98-run lead.

There were six Indian batters, who failed to open their accounts and one who remained not out also didn't trouble the scorer, making it a statistician's nightmare.

Lungi Ngidi (3/30) and Kagiso Rabada (3/38) got five of those six wickets keeping the lead below 100 and gaining the necessary psychological advantage as 23 wickets fell on the opening day.

South Africa were more cautious despite being aggressive as they scored 62 for three in their second innings at stumps to bring down the deficit to 36 runs. Aiden Markram (32 batting) looked solid in the middle.

The maximum number of wickets lost on Day 1 of a Test is 25 and that happened in an Ashes Test back in 1902.

Dean Elgar, in his last Test match, would like to forget that he got out twice in a day's play while Mukesh Kumar (2/0 and 2/25) was rewarded for consistently pitching the ball in right areas, getting enough away movement against southpaws.

Any chance of the match going into the third day looks remote.

On a Newlands track that offered steep bounce and would certainly come under the ICC match referee Chris Broad's radar, the red Kookaburra ball took off like jumbo jet from the length making it impossible for batters to survive.

Between shoulder blades to lower abdomen, batters got hit everywhere as the bounce became variable towards the end of the day.

Rohit Sharma (39 off 50 balls) lived dangerously but smacked seven delicious fours, knowing that surviving won't get him anywhere. Ditto for Virat Kohli (46 off 59 balls) and Shubman Gill (36 off 55 balls), who also showed right intent.

The talented duo of Yashasvi Jaiswal (0) and Shreyas Iyer (0), from the famed "Khadoos School of Mumbai Cricket" didn't trouble the scorers, after once again being exposed for technical ineptitude.

A Special Spell

Before Siraj's special effort, the only Indian in country's 92 year Test history to take five wickets before lunch was left-arm spinner Maninder Singh, who achieved the feat against Pakistan in Bengaluru back in 1986-1987.

On a humid Wednesday morning, South African batters found what a great leveller the game of cricket is with Siraj ripping the heart out of the Proteas batting with a masterclass of pace, swing and seam movement. The Proteas innings ended in just 23.2 overs.

David Bedingham (12) and Kyle Verreynne (15) were the only two batters to hit the double digits as the South African supporters in stands were stunned into silence.

Jasprit Bumrah (2/25 in 8 overs) also kept the pressure from the other end as Indian skipper Rohit Sharma kept his promise of making opposite number Dean Elgar's life miserable in his farewell Test.

Mukesh also wrapped the tail up and proved that he is way better than a bits and pieces Shardul Thakur in these conditions.

Having been pilloried for conceding 400 plus runs in the heavy defeat at the Centurion, even the biggest of Indian supporters wouldn't have envisaged such a roaring comeback from the bowlers.

Siraj kept the ball on fuller lengths between 4-6 metres and with bounce got most balls to jag back in.

From the other end, Bumrah hit the back of length area as Rohit set completely attacking fields, albeit of different nature.

When Siraj bowled initially, there was a leg-slip placed while for Bumrah, Rohit himself stood at short leg.

The procession started with Markram going on a 'fishing expedition' to a delivery that moved in air and shaped away with the opener closing his bat face. Yashasvi Jaiswal took a fantastic catch at third slip to send back Markram.

The stodgy Elgar played one to his stumps off Siraj who angled one across on fuller length, not giving him enough room to play the cut shot.

Bumrah got young Tristan Stubbs into a tangle and the simple catch was gobbled up by skipper at short-leg.

Tony De Zorzi's affinity to whip balls off the hips was exploited as he was caught down the leg-side.

Unlike Centurion, there were plans in place and David Bedingham, who was fed on the backfoot in the first Test, was enticed to go for a drive on length and extra bounce did the trick.

Once Marco Jansen edged Siraj to give him his fifth scalp, one knew that South Africa would have one of their most embarrassing mornings since return to international cricket.

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