India crush South Africa by 113 runs in Centurion Test

INDIA on Thursday (30) breached Fortress Centurion when they defeated South Africa by 113 runs in the first Test to go 1-0 up in a three-match series. The visiting team bowled the hosts out for 191 after they resumed from 94 for 4 on Day 5 in pursuit of 305.

Indian spearheads Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami took three wickets each while Mohammed Siraj and veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin picked two each in the second innings.

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Earlier in the day, South Africa captain Dean Elgar (77) resumed with Temba Bavuma (35 not out) to add 36 runs for the fifth wicket. After the skipper fell to Bumrah, wicket-keeper-batter Quinton de Kock (21) added 31 runs with Bavuma. Tail-ender Marco Jansen added 26 runs with Bavuma for the eighth wicket as South Africa went to lunch at 182 for 7. But once play resumed, their journey was curtailed with Shami and Ashwin picking the final three wickets for only nine runs.

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The match saw a speedy progress on the third and fourth days with 31 wickets tumbling in two days after the entire second day was washed out by rain.

India opener KL Rahul, who was adjudged the player of the match, hit a century in the first innings while South Africa’s Lungi Ngidi and India’s Shami finished with eight-wicket hauls in the game. Another Proteas pacer Kagiso Rabada got seven wickets.

The second Test begins in Johannesburg on January 3.

India have never won a Test series in South Africa. In the 2006-07 tour, they won the first Test in Johannesburg but lost the next two matches to squander the series. Current head coach Rahul Dravid was the India captain on that tour.

Brief scores: India 327 & 174 vs South Africa 197 & 191