INDIA returned to the field with a strong intent in the second Test against South Africa at Cape Town on Wednesday (3) when they bowled out the hosts for a paltry 55. The wrecker-in-chief for the visitors was Mohammed Siraj who dismantled the Proteas top order to finish with his best bowling figures in Test cricket with six for 15.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mukesh Kumar, playing only his second Test, shared the remaining four wickets between them equally.
It was South Africa's lowest total in Test cricket. Against India, their previous lowest total was 79.
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The hosts, who won the toss and elected to bat, lasted less than 24 innings against a charged-up Indian bowling attack. Captain Dean Elgar, who scored a match-winning 185 in the previous Test in Centurion that South Africa won by an innings and 32 runs, fell for only four. For South Africa, wicket-keeper-batter Kyle Verreynne has the highest scorer with 15 while David Bedingham made 12. Both were picked by Siraj.
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This was the India bowler's third five-wicket haul in his 23-match career.
Last September, Siraj registered his best-ever bowling figures in one-day international cricket when he took six wickets for 21 to decimate Sri Lanka in the final of the Asia Cup in Colombo.
South Africa also came back hard at India when opener Yashasvi Jaiswal fell for no score against Kagiso Rabada. Captain Rohit Sharma (39) and Shubman Gill (36) add 55 runs for the second wicket. The visitors were 111 for 4 at the end of the second session with Virat Kohli batting on 20 and KL Rahul, who was still to open his account.
South Africa are leading the two-match series 1-0.
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