The Indian batting unit had no answers to South Africa's fiery pace battery as the visitors slumped to an innings defeat in less than three days in the IND vs RSA, Boxing Day Test in Centurion on Thursday, December 28, 2023. (Scorecard | Cricket News)
Virat Kohli waged a lone battle in the third innings and scored a valiant 76, but that was not enough to prevent a thumping loss by an innings and 32 runs. Debutant Nandre Burger was the wrecker-in-chief in India's second essay, scalping four wickets to leave Rohit Sharma and Co with no scope of saving the game, let alone stand a chance of winning it.
South Africa racked up 408 runs in response to India's sub-par total of 245 in the first innings, which handed them a decisive 163-run lead. The gulf proved to be too wide for Rohit Sharma and Co to cross, as they were bundled out for a paltry 131 in just 34.1 overs.
Shubman Gill (26) was the only batter apart from Kohli to get to double digits, as it was an abject surrender from the Men In Blue. Left-arm seamer Burger prised out the wickets of Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammed Siraj.
Another young left-armer Marco Jansen complemented Burger well and dislodged Gill, Shreyas Iyer and the big fish - Kohli. The former India captain was the last man to be dismissed, caught spectacularly in the deep by a diving Kagiso Rabada to wrap up the victory.
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Earlier, on Boxing Day, Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma won the toss and chose to field first in overcast conditions. The start of the match was delayed by a wet outfield, and the moisture on the surface made batting a daunting task on the first morning. Rahul (101) scored a splendid century and Kohli (38) too fought hard, but India were all out for 245 on the second day, after a rain-truncated first one.
Then, the soon-retiring Dean Elgar made a massive statement at the top of the order with a dazzling daddy hundred (185) to anchor the Proteas innings all through. The Indian seamers, led by a persistent Jasprit Bumrah, toiled hard without much reward initially, and later fell apart with wayward lines and lengths.
The loss has ended India's hopes of capturing the 'final frontier' this time, as South Africa now lead the two-Test series 1-0 and cannot lose it. The second and final Test will be played in Cape Town, starting January 3, 2024.
