Batting collapses and 23 wickets underline Cape Town bowling blitz

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In an action-packed day in Cape Town, Dean Elgar played his final two Test knocks on the same day as a stunning 23 wickets fell, with quicker bowlers on both sides enjoying the lively Newlands surface.

Bowling out the hosts for just 55 in the first session of play, India seemed to hold relative control with the bat in reply at 153/4, before an unprecedented collapse of six wickets for no runs in just 11 balls brought their innings to an unceremonious close. Where ball stats are available in Test cricket history, the six-wicket tumble is the fastest by fewest balls bowled, 16 balls worse than the next stretch.

After their hitback with the ball, South Africa ended the day at 62/3, still needing 36 runs for India to bat again.

The 23 scalps equals the record for the most wickets in a single day's play in a Test match in South Africa, joining the South Africa/Australia Test at the same venue in 2011. Only the 1902 Test in Melbourne between Australia and England saw more wickets fall on the opening day of a Test, with 25 dismissals.

Taking the new ball after Elgar won the toss and chose to bat, Siraj was South Africa's nemesis as ran all over the batting line-up.

The seamer had Aiden Markram caught in the cordon for his first wicket and followed it up with the big scalp of Elgar, the opener chopping onto his stumps for four.

Jasprit Bumrah did his bit by snaring debutant Tristan Stubbs, caught at short leg, and Siraj added the wicket of Tony de Zorzi to see South Africa reduced to 15/4.

Siraj refused to be taken off and came roaring back to break South Africa’s mini-resurrection, dismissing David Bedingham and Marco Jansen in the same over to complete a five-wicket haul.

He had Kyle Verreynne caught by Shubman Gill in his next over as South Africa were left reeling at 45/7. Siraj finished with figures of 9-3-15-6 as Mukesh Kumar and Bumrah wiped out the tail to bowl the hosts out for 55.

Siraj’s 6/15 is his best spell in Test cricket and the third-best by an Indian bowler in South Africa after Shardul Thakur’s 7/61 in Johannesburg in 2022 and Harbhajan Singh’s 7/120 in Cape Town in 2011.

Wiping out the South African batting line-up in one session saw India make a great start to the Test match. South Africa’s score is the lowest by any team against India in Test cricket. It is also South Africa’s lowest score since readmission in Tests.

India lost Yashasvi Jaiswal for a duck in reply, but Rohit Sharma’s counterattacking knock took them into the lead pretty quickly. South Africa hit back with quick wickets as Nandre Burger shone yet again.

Virat Kohli held the innings together and alongside a watchful KL Rahul, India took the lead close to the three-figure mark before the most dramatic collapse of the day saw India lose their half-dozen. The six ducks is the joint-most in a Test innings (joining seven other instances).

Bowled out for 153 with a 98-run lead, India had to stamp down their authority with the ball, but South Africa made a more measured start to their second innings.

Elgar was eventually dismissed for 12 in his final Test innings as Mukesh Kumar struck.

Mukesh added another while Bumrah sent back Stubbs for the second time in the day as India closed the day with a 36-run lead and three Soth African wickets in the bag.