STATS HIGHLIGHTS
Follow UsAt the start of day five, India needed six wickets to register a remarkable win. Thankfully, the rain Gods stayed away. Dean Elgar, who fought hard for his 77 was dismissed in the 10th over of the fifth day, and once again, it was Jasprit Bumrah with the breakthrough. Quinton de Kock came out with an attacking instinct. But, his blazing innings came to an end after he chopped one off Mohammed Siraj, similar to his first innings dismissal. Indian bowlers took another 45 balls to clean up the remaining four wickets and hand them a historic 113-run win. Bumrah and Mohammed Shami picked up three wickets each and Siraj chipped in with two. Kagiso Rabada became the first batsman in this match to be dismissed by a spinner after Ravichandran Ashwin picked up his wicket and followed it up by dismissing Lungi Ngidi. Here are a few notable stats from day five:
Another fortress breached
What a year of Test cricket India have had in 2021. They started off with a win at the Gabba and became the first Asian team to beat Australia at that venue. Then won a match at The Oval in September 2021 after 50 years. To end the year with a blast, they have beaten South Africa in their fortress. Prior to this match, South Africa had lost only two matches out of 27 in Centurion. England and Australia were the two teams to defeat them. With a win in the first Test of this series, India became the first Asian team to win a Test in Centurion.
South Africa struggle in the opening clash
A team devoid of experienced names like AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis due to their retirement, South Africa has a relatively inexperienced middle-order. In this encounter, the home team were dismissed under 200 in both the innings, making it only the third instance for the Proteas since their readmission. The other two games were at Johannesburg in 2002 and 2018, with South Africa bundled out for 59 and 133 against Australia and 194 and 177 against India, respectively.
Shami scripts India's famous win
Over the past couple of years, the pace attack of the Indian side has been amongst the best in the world. In this game, the three seamers, Bumrah, Siraj and Shami, wreaked through the batting unit of the opposition to help India register a memorable win. After posting 327 runs in the first innings, Shami produced a magical spell with the ball to pick up a five-wicket haul and help the side dismiss the Proteas for 197 runs in the first innings.
The 31-year old continued his sublime form with the ball and scalped three wickets in the second innings to take his match tally to eight wickets for 107 runs, making his spell the fourth best for an Indian in Test matches in South Africa. Venkatesh Prasad, with ten wickets in the game in Durban in 1996, is on top of the list with the best match figures.
India cherishing in away Tests under Kohli
The Indian team under Kohli in away Tests aren’t the age-old defensive ones, especially in SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia). The saga started from 2018, when India won a match in South Africa, one in England and two in Australia. In the year 2021, they won one against Australia, two against England and one against South Africa. The year 2018 and 2021 are the only two years where India have won four matches away after playing in these countries. Since the start of this century till 2017, India had won eight of the 50 matches played in SENA country (0.307 win/loss ratio). However, since 2018, India have won nine matches in just 24 matches with a win/loss ratio of 0.705.
Furthermore, India won eight matches this year (overall), the joint second most for the team in a calendar year. In 2010 also, they had won eight and in 2016, they had won nine, the most.
Bowlers continue to thrive under Kohli
In one of the most remarkable Test matches this season, Team India breached the South African fortress Centurion with a scintillating effort by the pace bowling unit of the side. The visiting side bundled out the opposition for 197 and 191 in the two innings to script a memorable win on the final day of the Test. En route their fierce spell, Team India became the first team under Virat Kohli to bowl out the opposition for most times under a captain. Under the astute leadership of Graeme Smith, South Africa dismantled the opposition batting unit on 48 occasions, which is the second-most under a skipper.
India loves Boxing Day Tests in recent past
India in the recent times have made a habit of winning Tests starting on Boxing Day (26th December), just like how they have been breaching fortresses. In Tests since 2010, India have played seven Tests that have started on December 26. In these seven matches they won four, lost twice and drawn one. Out of those four wins, three have come on a trot, starting from 2018 against Australia. They beat South Africa in 2010, Australia in 2018 and 2020 and South Africa today.
