On Thursday, January 4, Team India, captained by Rohit Sharma, made history by defeating South Africa in Cape Town, becoming the very first Asian team to do so. The match was completed in two days. The visitors defeated the Proteas with seven wickets in hand during the 5th session of the Test. In their seventh Test at theNewlands stadium, India has finally experienced triumph. With the victory, the visitors also squared the two-match Test series 1-1. This makes Sharma the second Indian skipper to draw a Test series against the Rainbow Nation.
Mohammed Siraj was clinical with the new ball in the first innings on Day 1. He was able to scalp six wickets and bowl the Proteas out for 55. India’s response saw a spectacular collapse, as their final six wickets went without scoring any more runs. Ultimately they went from 153-4 to 153 all-out in a matter of just 11 deliveries. With the bat, Virat Kohli was outstanding, scoring 46 runs off of 59 deliveries. In his innings, he was able to smash six boundaries and a maximum.
The hosts amassed 176 thanks to a century from Aiden Markram in the third innings, setting a target of 79 for India. On Day 2, the right-handed opener hammered 106 off 103, including two sixes as well as 17 boundaries. During the third innings, Jasprit Bumrah seized the limelight with the ball, finishing with six wickets.
India won the contest with seven wickets remaining inside 12 overs after chasing 79 in their final innings. Yashasvi Jaiswal scored the most as he notched up a score of 28 runs. Shreyas Iyer and captain Rohit Sharma stayed till the end with scores of 17 and 4 runs, respectively.
Who won the individual awards in the series?
The celebrations in the Indian camp were amazing to watch as well as they wrote history earlier today in Cape Town. Mohammed Siraj won the Player of the Match award for his stunning display with the new ball yesterday. His 9-over spell was enough to rattle out the hosts for 55. For his amazing performance, he won this award as he helped India clinch this iconic win.
Dean Elgar and Jasprit Bumrah were announced as the joint Player of the Series award winners. The duo were excellent in both the Tests and have shown how important they certainly are to the side. It was an emotional moment for Elgar as he won the award in his last ever Test for the nation. Later on, Rohit Sharma and Dean Elgar got together and shared the Nelson-Mandela trophy.
