India’s collapse overshadows Siraj’s heroics in Cape Town Test

The cricketing world was left stunned by India’s collapse, losing six wickets without scoring a run against South Africa in the second Test at Newlands.

Despite their performance in bowling out South Africa for 55 runs in the first innings India’s batting lineup inexplicably crumbled when they were in a promising position of 153/4. Mohammed Siraj played a role with his bowling figures of 6/15, which included an impressive streak of nine consecutive overs.

His exceptional performance dismantled South Africa’s batting order.

Limited them to their total since 1931/32. However, the focus shifted away from Siraj’s heroics due to India’s batting collapse.

In succession, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Virat Kohli, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna fell victim to Lungi Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada.

This resulted in India losing six wickets within 11 balls. South Africa’s stand-in captain, Dean Elgar, stressed the importance of a start to defend their 1-0 series lead.

However, India took control during the morning session by capitalising on the pitch bounce and seam movement. Siraj’s mastery over the conditions proved challenging for batsmen as he initiated the collapse, with key dismissals of Aiden Markram and Dean Elgar early on.

Jasprit Bumrah also contributed to the wicket-taking spree by removing Tristan Stubbs. Siraj then took the wickets of David Bedingham, Marco Jansen and top scorer Kyle Verreynne, completing a six-wicket haul. This remarkable collapse comes amidst a controversy surrounding South Africa’s team selection.

The squad for the Test series against New Zealand has faced criticism for its lack of experience, with seven players making their debuts and a captain, Neil Brand, who is also making his first appearance. The selection issues faced by the team can be traced back to a ruling by Cricket South Africa, which rendered players contracted to SA20 franchises for selection.

As a result, only Keegan Petersen and David Bedingham are left from the side that recently triumphed over India. This decision has raised eyebrows, especially considering that South Africa currently leads the standings in the 2023-25 World Test Championship.

Former Australian captain Steve Waugh expressed his frustration on Instagram, describing the situation as “flabbergasting.” As India seeks to take advantage of South Africa’s turmoil, anticipation builds for what promises to be another thrilling and captivating Test match.

Even with the collapse of the Indian squad they are still -500 bookmaker favourites to claim the 2nd test match, due to the disappointing efforts from South Africa.

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