India wins Test at SA - the shortest one in Test history

Victory always tastes sweet !   my mind unnecessarily wandered to the 2^nd  Test against Pakistan at  Jalandhar, in Sept  1983

India, the No.1 ranked Test side in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Team rankings, came to South Africa with a Test series victory in the Rainbow Nation eluding them for more than three decades. In 2010, India managed to square the series – the only time prior to this they have managed to return from South Africa by avoiding a Test series loss – after an epic victory in Durban followed by a drawn Test after they had lost the first match of the series.

The scorecard would never fully depict the story – it reads :  India 153 (Kohli 46, Rohit 39, Ngidi 3-30, Rabada 3-38, Burger 3-42) and 80 for 3 (Jaiswal 28, Jansen 1-15) beat South Africa 55 (Verreynne 15, Siraj 6-15) and 176 (Markram 106, Bumrah 6-61) by seven wickets

Jasprit Bumrah's 6 for 61 paved the way for India's seven-wicket win on the second day of the second Test in Cape Town, helping them level the two-match series 1-1. After South Africa were bowled out for 176 in their second innings, India chased down the required 79 runs an hour after lunch. Lasting just 107 overs, this was the shortest Test ever to produce a result. It was also India's first Test win at Newlands in seven attempts. Mohammed Siraj, who picked up 6 for 15 to skittle out South Africa for 55 in the first innings, was named the Player of the Match.

This test just lasted 642 deliveries !   Capetown becoming  the shortest completed Test ever. The previous shortest Test lasted 656 balls, played between Australia and South Africa in Melbourne in 1932.

After the match, Indian Captain Rohit Sharma rightly  called out the ICC and the match referees for what he sees as double standards at rating pitches. After winning the shortest Test in the history of the game, thanks to a lottery pitch loaded too heavily in the favour of the seam bowlers, Rohit was scathing about the slander against pitches in India, which don't go the distance. "I mean, we saw what happened in this match, how the pitch played and stuff like that," Rohit said. "I honestly don't mind playing on pitches like this. As long as everyone keeps their mouth shut in India and don't talk too much about Indian pitches, honestly.

If you remember that 1st para, on  Sept 29, 1983, Anshuman Gaekwad scored the slowest double hundred in the history of Test cricket — off 652 minutes at Burlton Park, Jalandhar.   This world record stood for a good three years before Brendon Kuruppu made 201 in 777 minutes.

At Jallandhar at the end of the second day’s play, India were 37 for two. The third day’s play was washed out. The preceding day was a rest day of a Test match. Gaikwad resumed his batting after three days. He was unbeaten on 17. He held the fort as wickets kept falling.  The 4th day was tedious for the spectators as India scored only  154 runs from 85 overs while losing Yashpal and Sandeep Patil.

Anshuman Gaikwad was unbeaten on 121 at the end of the fourth day’s play  and was helped benevolently by Paki fielding.  On the fifth day since there was absolutely no chance of any result, Gaikwad dropped the anchor,  batted resolutely and didn’t go for the bowling. He brought his double century in the third session of the final day, achieving this  feat in 652 minutes — nearly eleven hours — which was the slowest hundred ever in Test cricket. Nineteen minutes later, Gaekwad was dismissed caught and bowled by Wasim Raja. His innings of 201 was scored off 436 balls and it included 17 boundaries.

Modern day players do not have the mindset to play 50 overs perhaps ! .. .. and the record for the longest innings is held by Len Hutton who in Test 266 in Aug 1938 against Australia made 364 playing 847 balls lasting 797 minutes. 

With regards – S. Sampathkumar
4.1.2024