India continued their dominance in Test cricket as they easily got past South Africa in Vishakhapatnam. India took a 1-0 lead in the three-match Test series as they defeated the Proteas by 203 runs at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Vizag. Mohammad Shami was the star of the show as he picked up five wickets in the fourth innings to bundle out South Africa for just 191 runs.
With this five-wicket haul, Shami also managed to get himself into an elite list of Indian pacers to get five wicket in the second-innings at home. Legendary Indian fast bowlers like Kapil Dev and Javagal Srinath are also a part of the list.
Shami took the wickets of Temba Bavuma, skipper Faf du Plessis, Quinton de Kock and Dane Piedt before sealing the win for India with the the final wicket of Kagiso Rabada. South Africa were chasing a huge total of 395 runs but were completely bamboozled by the Indian bowlers in the fourth innings.
Shami also became the only bowler to have 3 or more five-wicket hauls since 2018, a number which underlines his effectiveness in the second innings of a Test match.
Ravindra Jadeja also shined in the innings, taking four wickets. The left-arm spinner picked up three wickets in one single over, which turned the tide in India’s favour in the first session of the final day. Tailenders Dane Piedt and Senuran Muthusamy stitched a 91-run stand, but it was not enough to save the match for the visitors.
Ravichandran Ashwin took one to equal Sri Lankan great Muttiah Muralitharan in becoming the joint fastest to take 350 wickets early on, dismissing Theunis de Bruyn.
On Saturday, India declared their second innings at 323-4 in 67 overs after Rohit Sharma scored another ton to become the only player in history to score hundreds in both innings in their first Test as an opener.
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