Proteas hammer India to convincingly win Boxing Day Test

Virat Kohli of India during day 3 of the 1st test match between South Africa and India at SuperSport Park on December 28, 2023 in Centurion, South Africa. (Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images)

By Keanan Hemmonsbey

28 Dec 2023

South Africa smashed India by an innings and 32 runs in the first Test match to continue India’s barren run in the country, where they have never won a Test series.

South Africa beat India by an innings and 32 runs within three days of action at SuperSport Park on Thursday in the first of two Test matches.

It was a clinical display of domination by South Africa that started in the first session on day one and continued until the final ball on day three.

The result means that, after nine attempts, India will leave South Africa having never beaten the home side in a Test series in the country.

The Proteas’ victory was set up by an elegant 14th Test century by Dean Elgar as well as ruthless fast bowling by South Africa’s pace quartet.

Elgar, playing in his final Test series before retiring, added 45 runs to his overnight score before being caught behind for 185 runs off the bowling of Shardul Thakur.

Player of the Match Elgar combined with all-rounder Marco Jansen to score 104 runs in the morning session of day three, in the process guiding South Africa to a lead of more than 100 runs over India’s first-innings total of 245.

The left-handed Elgar registered 28 boundaries in his elegant knock — the most he has ever struck in a Test match innings.

Jansen continued to show patience while batting with the tail to register his highest Test match score: an unbeaten 84, with 11 fours and one six.

The Centurion pitch, which had been tricky to bat on, seemed to go flat as South Africa’s final three partnerships took the home side to 408 for nine — skipper Temba Bavuma did not bat due to a hamstring injury sustained while fielding on day one.

Cricket South Africa confirmed that Bavuma will not take part in the New Year’s Test match at Newlands, with Zubayr Hamza replacing him in the Test squad and Elgar taking over as captain.

Marco Jansen of the Proteas during Day 3 of the 1st Test match between South Africa and India at SuperSport Park on 28 December 2023 in Centurion, South Africa. (Photo: Lee Warren / Gallo Images)

Too fast

With India trailing by 163 runs before going out to bat after lunch on Thursday, it always looked like an uphill battle for the guests, and South Africa’s lethal fast bowlers ensured the match was wrapped up only a few hours later.

India managed to only bat out half of the second session and half of the third before being bowled out for 131 runs in only 34.1 overs.

Kagiso Rabada, who took five wickets in the first innings, found his rhythm immediately in the second dig, extracting an outside edge off the bat of Yashasvi Jaiswal in the first ball of the innings.

The chance, however, was spurned by Aiden Markram at slip. It was one of three dropped catches in the slips in the innings, with Keegan Petersen and Jansen also guilty of having butterfingers.

While the Proteas were merciless with bat and ball throughout the match, their catching left a lot to be desired, with five dropped chances across the three days of action.

Rabada took the fielders out of the equation to get off Rohit Sharma, producing a sublime delivery that angled towards leg stump but jagged away off the pitch and clipped the off-stump bail.

Rabada finished with seven wickets in the match in an exquisite display of fast bowling.

His opening partner, Nandre Burger, dismissed Jaiswal with a ball that jumped off the pitch off a length and caught a fine edge to Kyle Verreynne.

Nandre Burger of South Africa during Day 3 of the 1st Test match between South Africa and India at SuperSport Park on 28 December 2023 in Centurion, South Africa. (Photo: Sydney Seshibedi / Gallo Images)

Virat Kohli of India during Day 3 of the 1st Test match between South Africa and India at SuperSport Park on 28 December 2023 in Centurion, South Africa. (Photo: Sydney Seshibedi / Gallo Images)

Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli put up some resistance with a 39-run partnership — a team high — before Jansen cleaned up Gill with a perfect yorker.

India went into tea at 62 for three, trailing by 101 runs, and the wheels came off after the break.

Jansen castled Shreyas Iyer in identical fashion to Gill, before Burger dismissed first innings centurion KL Rahul, as well as Ravichandran Ashwin in consecutive deliveries.

The near impenetrable Kohli brought up his 30th Test match 50, seemingly playing on a different pitch to the rest of the Indian batters.

Left-arm quick Burger, who made his debut in all three formats for South Africa in the span of two weeks, finished with four wickets in the second innings and seven wickets in the match in his debut Test match.

Jansen, who started the match off slowly, had a brilliant day three, collecting three wickets along with his batting heroics earlier in the day. He eventually picked up the final wicket of Kohli, brilliantly caught by a diving Rabada at long-on.

The two sides head to Cape Town for the second and final Test at Newlands Cricket Stadium starting on 3 January. DM

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Too fast