India level series with thrilling seven-wicket victory over South Africa

Monitoring Desk

Newlands, South Africa: Despite a remarkable century by Aiden Markram, India secured a seven-wicket win over South Africa on the second day of the second Test at Newlands.

This victory levelled the series, with South Africa having won the first Test in Centurion by an innings and 32 runs.

Chasing a modest target of 79 runs to win, India displayed a dominant performance, requiring only 12 overs to seal the victory. Yashasvi Jaiswal, the Indian opening batsman, aggressively attacked from the outset, contributing 28 runs off 23 deliveries before being caught on the boundary off Nandre Burger.

Shubman Gill (10) and Virat Kohli (12) fell to Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen, respectively, before Shreyas Iyer clinched the win with a boundary in his only scoring stroke. Captain Rohit Sharma remained unbeaten on 16.

Aiden Markram’s impressive century of 106 runs off 103 balls was a standout performance for South Africa. However, they were bowled out for 176 shortly before lunch. Jasprit Bumrah was instrumental in India’s bowling attack, claiming six wickets for 61 runs. Markram, at 71, was fortunate to escape a dismissal when he edged a drive, and wicketkeeper KL Rahul couldn’t hold the catch above his head.

Markram showcased resilience on a challenging pitch with pace, extravagant seam movement, and an uneven bounce. He was the only South African batsman to go beyond 15 in either inning. Markram’s innings included 17 fours and two sixes, with one six sailing out of the ground and onto a railway line beyond square leg off Prasidh Krishna. His dismissal occurred as he attempted another significant shot, caught at mid-off by Sharma off Mohammed Siraj.

Mohammed Siraj’s outstanding bowling performance of six for 15 had set up India’s victory on the first day, as South Africa was bowled out for 55 before lunch. The match saw a total of twenty-three wickets fall on the opening day, providing an enthralling contest between the two cricketing nations.