ON THIS DAY IN 2018: India have had a torrid time in South Africa in Test cricket. It has been the most difficult and challenging country for them in the longest format of the game. It is the only country where they have still not won a Test series. They have only won three Tests out of a total of 20 in South Africa – that is how tough it has been for India in the country.
The third such win came in 2018 in Johannesburg and was a great consolation victory for India after losing the first two Tests (and the series) in Cape Town and Centurion.
India made a brave call to bat first on a greenish Wanderers wicket. They lost their openers – Murali Vijay and KL Rahul – within the first 10 overs. Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli re-built the innings with a fine 84-run stand for the third wicket. Lungi Ngidi dismissed the Indian captain for 54 and wickets continued to fall at both ends. Pujara was the fifth batsman to be dismissed with India’s score at 144 – he exited after scoring 50 braving the attack for 179 deliveries. India were bowled out for 187.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar gave India the initial breakthroughs seeing the back of the South African openers – Aiden Markram and Dean Elgar – early in the innings. Nightwatchman, Kagiso Rabada frustrated the Indians and put together 64 for the third-wicket with Hashim Amla.
Kumar returned to get the big wicket of AB de Villiers while Jasprit Bumrah went through the defense of the South African captain, Faf du Plessis in quick succession. Amla top-scored with 61 but the home team just managed to take a slender 7 runs first innings lead. Bumrah picked 5 wickets while Kumar bagged three.
Invaluable 40s from Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane, 33 from Kumar and 27 from Mohammed Shami helped India to 247 in the second innings. South Africa needed 241 for a series sweep. But the Indian pace quartet had something else in mind.
Elgar and Amla put together a hundred partnership after the early dismissal of Markram. Ishant Sharma broke the partnership getting Amla for 52 bringing India back into the match. That opened the floodgates for India. Bumrah got AB while Ishant castled Du Plessis. Quinton de Kock was trapped leg before by Bumrah off the first delivery he faced in the innings. Shami ran through the lower order and tail as the home team were bowled out for 177.
India had won by 63 runs with the match ending within 4 days. It was a big win for India – only their third Test match win in South Africa.
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