2nd Test: Mukesh, Bumrah strike as South Africa trail India by 36 runs as 23 wickets fall in a day

Cape Town: Fast-bowlers Mukesh Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah made three strikes collectively to give India a slight edge to leave South Africa at 62/3 in 17 overs as the hosts’ still trail the visitors’ by 36 runs at stumps on day one of second Test at Newlands Cricket Ground on Wednesday.

It was an exhilarating day of Test cricket where an astonishing 23 wickets fell in a single day’s play. Mohammed Siraj first took a fiery, career-best 6-15 to bowl out South Africa for just 55 in first innings. India took the lead and were comfortably placed at 153/4, before suffering a sensational collapse, losing six wickets for just zero runs to be out on that score.

Aiden Markram and Dean Elgar hit six boundaries in 9.3 overs to get South Africa’s second innings going. But in the next over, Elgar poked at one outside the off-stump off Mukesh Kumar and nicked to first slip, dismissed for 12 off 28 balls in what was his final innings in international cricket.

Elgar was congratulated by on-field Indian players, and given a standing ovation by the crowd over the end of a wonderful international Test career. Shortly after, Tony de Zorzi nicked behind off Mukesh for one, followed by Jasprit Bumrah having Tristan Stubbs caught behind for second time in the day off an unplayable delivery.

A flurry of boundaries from Markram (36 not out) and David Bedingham (seven not out) took Proteas without any further loss to stumps. Day two is now evenly poised, with India having the edge over South Africa at the end of a fast-moving day one.

Previously, In the mid of second session, India were 153/4 with a lead of 98, with Virat Kohli pulling and driving off Kagiso Rabada to pick boundaries with aplomb. Lungi Ngidi, who looked off-colour and conceded 30 runs from five overs, changed the course of the game with a three-wicket maiden over, and waking up the Cape Town crowd from sleep.

He used steep bounce to have KL Rahul upper-cut to the hands of keeper Kyle Verreynne, take the glove edge on Ravindra Jadeja’s attempted fend to the leg-side for gully to catch it and force Jasprit Bumrah to lob a catch to gully.

Kohli watched the Ngidi carnage from the non-striker’s end and on the second ball of the next over, he went for a drive with hard hands, only for the second slip to catch the outside edge. Siraj was run-out two balls later, and Rabada wrapped up the innings immediately by having Prasidh Krishna caught at slip.

Ngidi, Rabada and Nandre Burger ended with three wickets each on a pitch which still offers steep bounce and seam movement. India’s sensational implosion is also the first ever instance of six wickets falling on the same score in a Test match, as 20 wickets fell inside two and a half sessions of day one.

Brief Scores: South Africa 55 in 23.2 overs (Kyle Verreynne 15; Mohammed Siraj 6-15) and 62/3 in 17 overs (Aiden Markram 36 not out; Mukesh Kumar 2-25) trail India 153 in 34.5 overs (Virat Kohli 46, Rohit Sharma 39; Lungi Ngidi 3-30, Kagiso Rabada 3-38) by 36 runs

–IANS