New Delhi: It was one of the weirdest games played in nearly 150 years of international cricket.
Gladly for billions of cricket fans in this country, it was Team India who emerged on top of the second Test against South Africa at Newlands ground in Cape Town.
Midway through the second session of Day 2, Shreyas Iyer lofted Marco Jansen to the long-on boundary to hit the winning runs as India reached 80 for 3 to win by 7 wickets.
A Test series victory on South African soil remained elusive for the Indians, but at least they had the satisfaction of sharing honours in the 2-match series.
It was the shortest ever match played in the 147-year history of Test cricket. The match lasted 642 balls, or 107 overs!
The previous record was a 656-ball Test between Australia and South Africa, played in 1932 at Melbourne.
“I didn’t imagine this Test would end so fast.. I’ve never played such a short Test in my career,” said joint Man-of-the-Series Jasprit Bumrah.
Bumrah was India’s hero on Thursday, as he matched fellow-pacer Mohammed Siraj’s Day 1 effort of 6/15 with a haul of 6/61 in the second innings.
The Proteas, having conceded a 98-run lead after collapsing to 55 all out, managed to put up 176 on the board in second innings thanks to Aiden Markram’s brilliant century (106 off 103 balls, 17×4, 2×6).
India went all guns blazing and knocked up the target in just 12 overs.
Brief scores
South Africa 55 all out in 23.2 overs & 176 all out in 36.5 overs (Aiden Markram 106; Jasprit Bumrah 6/61, Mukesh Kumar 2/56).
India 153 all out in 34.5 overs & 80/3 in 12 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 28).
Result: India won by 7 wickets.
Series result: 1-1
Man of the Match: Md Siraj
Men of the Series: J Bumrah & Dean Elgar.
