Team India-led by Virat Kohli defeated South Africa by 113 runs to register their first-ever win at the iconic Centurion to take a 1-0 lead in the ongoing three-match Test series. Chasing a target of 3-5 runs, South Africa was bowled out for 191 runs on the fifth and final day of the opening Test on Thursday.
Though, South Africa started the day confidently, with Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma keeping the hopes alive of their side. Together, they added 36 runs in 10 overs, however, just when things were getting easy for South Africa, Jasprit Bumrah provided a much-needed breakthrough to team India by dismissing Elgar. The Protean skipper walked back after scoring a defiant 156-ball 77.
Quinton de Kock tried to bring back the momentum by scoring 21 runs off 28 balls but he was soon dismissed to a short-pitched delivery. Following him in the very next over, Wiann Mulder also walked back to the pavilion after getting dismissed by an absolute JAFFA from Mohammed Shami. Ravi Ashwin finished things off in style for the Indian side as he dismissed Lungi Ngidi off the very first ball that he faced, as India went 1-0 up in the series.
While Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami ended the day by picking three wickets each, on the other hand, Ashwin and Siraj picked two wickets each.
After the match, the Indian Test skipper was all praises for his team and the way they performed to register an iconic win at the Centurion. Virat showered praises on Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul for setting up a strong base for the Indian side during the game. He said:
“Got off to the perfect start. Have to understand one day was washed out – shows how well we played. It’s always a difficult place to play against SA (Centurion). The discipline that the batters showed. Winning the toss, batting first overseas is a tough challenge. Credit to Mayank and KL the way they set it up.”
He added:
“We knew we were in pole position with anything over 300-320. Knew the bowlers will do the job. Spoke about it in the change room – the fact he didn’t bowl much in the first innings, it allowed SA to get around 40 more runs (Bumrah). Just the way these guys bowl together has been a hallmark of our team getting a result in difficult situations.”
Mohammed Shami – Just the fourth Indian seamer to take eight wickets in a Test in South Africa.#SAvIND pic.twitter.com/I7MN6AwHRi
— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) December 30, 2021
While the Indian pacers dominated the show in both the innings, Mohammed Shami stole the show with his impeccable bowling. En route to this match, Shami also completed 200 wickets in the longest format of the game. Virat Kohli heaped praises on Shami and explained why Shami is so successful in Test cricket. He said:
“Absolutely world class talent (Shami). For me he’s in the best three seamers in the world at the moment. His strong wrist, his seam position and his ability to hit a length consistently. Got so much confidence out of Johannesburg last time. It’s a ground we love playing at.”
