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Home  » Cricket » Win Gives India 12 Points In WTC25 Race

Win Gives India 12 Points In WTC25 Race

By REDIFF CRICKET
January 05, 2024 07:46 IST
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IMAGE: The India and South Africa cricket teams with the trophy after India won the second Test to level the series 1-1 at Newlands in Cape Town on Thursday, January 4, 2023. Photograph: BCCI/X

India's comfortable seven wicket win over South Africa on Day 2 of the second Test in Cape Town on Thursday saw them perch atop the World Test Championship standings.

India gained 12 crucial points to top the ICC World Test Championship standings.

 

After the win in their opening match of the series, South Africa led the WTC25 rankings, but the loss in the second Test meant their win percentage fell down to 50%, the same as New Zealand, Australia, and Bangladesh.

India needed to bounce back at Newlands to top the standings and they did in style, making quick work of the Proteas.

IMAGE: Jasprit Bumrah had figures of 6 for 61 in the 2nd innings. Photograph: Esa Alexander/Reuters

The visitors had a riveting first day of the second Test as they bowled South Africa out for 55. However, after getting a decent start to their innings, India's batting line-up imploded in bizarre fashion collapsing from 153/4 to 153 all out, the first time in Test cricket that 6 batters have gotten out without a change in the score.

Despite faltering, India's bowling resumed from where they had left off in the first innings. This time it was the Jasprit Bumrah show that headlined the second innings as he picked up six wickets that helped the visitors restrict South Africa to 176.

India's batters began positively before they wrapped their 79 run chase within 12 overs to secure their second win of the current WTC cycle.

This was also the shortest completed Test in terms of number of balls bowled, breaking a longstanding record 92-year-old record. It only took 642 balls for the Test to complete with a result, beating the 656-ball record in a Australia-South Africa Test in 1932.

India could consolidate their position at the top in their coming home five Test series against England, starting January 25.

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