Mohammed Shami’s lethal spell of fast bowling was beautifully complemented by Ravindra Jadeja’s guile as India recorded a resounding 203-run win victory over South Africa in the opening encounter of the three-Test series at Visakhapatnam on Sunday.
The victory consolidated India’s position in the ongoing World Test Championship with another valuable 40 points added to their kitty. India maintain their lead at the top with 160 points and a perfect win record.
Chasing an improbable 395-run target, South Africa were expected to put up a fight like they did in the first innings but Shami’s (5/35 in 10.5 overs) fifth five-for in Tests, backed by Jadeja’s three-wicket burst in one over, saw South Africa dismissed for 191 in 63.5 overs.
Debutant Senuran Muthusamy (49 not out) and Dane Piedt (56 off 107) delayed the inevitable with a fighting 91-run stand for ninth wicket after South Africa collapsed to 70/8 in the morning.
The second Test of the three-match series will be played in Pune from October 10.
Here are all the statistical highlights after the final day of action in the first Test of the series:
- Shami continued to have a stunning record in the second innings.
Shami's 1st & 2nd innings in Tests
| Matches (Inns) | Overs | Wkts | Best innings | Best match | Ave | Econ | SR | 5/ 10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st team innings | 43 (43) | 788.0 | 78 | 5/112 | 9/118 | 34.47 | 3.41 | 60.6 | 1 / 0 |
| 2nd team innings | 40 (40) | 552.1 | 80 | 6/56 | 9/118 | 22.58 | 3.27 | 41.4 | 4 / 0 |
- In the process of this match-winning performance, Shami became the first Indian pacer since Javagal Srinath in 1996 to take a five-wicket haul in the 4th inns and only the 5th ever to do so.
Indian pacers with a 5-for in the fourth innings of a Test at home:
— Umang Pabari (@UPStatsman) October 6, 2019
Karsan Ghavri v England, Mumbai, 1977
Kapil Dev v England, Mumbai, 1981
Madan Lal v England, Mumbai, 1981
Javagal Srinath v South Africa, Ahmedabad, 1996
Mohammad Shami v South Africa, Vizag, 2019*#INDvSA
Mohammad Shami is the only bowler to take 3 five-wicket hauls in team's second innings since 2018.
— Bharath Seervi (@SeerviBharath) October 6, 2019
v SA, J'burg
v Aus, Perth
v SA, Vizag#IndvSA
- Just like Jasprit Bumrah did so in Antigua not too long ago, four of Shami’s wickets were bowled dismissals: only the second such instance for an Indian pacer in Test cricket.
Indian pacers with four bowled dismissals in a Test innings:
— Umang Pabari (@UPStatsman) October 6, 2019
Jasprit Bumrah v West Indies, North Sound, 2019
Mohammad Shami v South Africa, Vizag, 2019*#INDvSA
- After Rohit Sharma broke the record for the most number of sixes in a Test match by one batsman, the match also witnessed the most number of sixes hit in a Test match by both sides combined.
🚨WORLD RECORD🚨
— Victor Tarapore (@VictorTarapore) October 6, 2019
Most sixes in a single Test: -
36 - IND v SA, Vizag, 2019👈
35 - NZ v PAK, Sharjah, 2014
27 - PAK v IND, Faisalabad, 2006
27 - BAN v NZ, Chattogram, 2013
24 - NZ v BAN, Hamilton, 2019#MakeStatsGreatAgain #INDvSA #INDvsSA #SAvIND #SAvsIND
- With his solitary wicket of the second innings, R Ashwin added another feather to his cap by becoming the joint-fastest to take 350 wickets in a Test match.
Number of Tests taken by India bowlers to reach 350 Test wickets:
— Bharath Seervi (@SeerviBharath) October 6, 2019
Kapil Dev - 100
Anil Kumble - 77
Harbhajan Singh - 83
R ASHWIN - 66#IndvSA
Theunis de Bruyn was R Ashwin's 350th Test wicket!
— Victor Tarapore (@VictorTarapore) October 6, 2019
A look at the quickest (viz. matches) to 350 Test wkts: -
66 - 🇱🇰M Muralidaran
66 - 🇮🇳R Ashwin👈
69 - 🇳🇿Sir Richard Hadlee
69 - 🇿🇦Dale Steyn
70 - 🇦🇺Dennis Lillee#MakeStatsGreatAgain #INDvSA #SAvIND #Ashwin
- And finally, India’s quest for a record-breaking 11th consecutive series win at home in Tests is off to a good start.
Largest wins for India after opposition scoring 400-plus in their first inns:
— Bharath Seervi (@SeerviBharath) October 6, 2019
Inns & 75 runs v Eng, Chennai, 2016
Inns & 52 runs v Pak, Multan, 2004
Inns & 36 runs v Eng, Mumbai, 2016
203 runs v SA, Vizag, 2019
3 of the top-4 have been achieved by 'this' team under Virat Kohli!
No Indian fieldsmen involved in South Africa's second innings
— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) October 6, 2019
five - bowled
three - LBW
one catch - by bowler
one catch - by keeper#IndvSA #IndvsSA
India have been unstoppable at home in the last seven years. In their last 30 home Tests, they've won 24 of them (80%), drawn five and lost just the one test. Of all teams at home since 2013, they by a long way have the best win percentage. #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/NL2umzNUTL
— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) October 6, 2019
India since 1 Jan 2013 in-home Tests - Played 30, Won 24, Drawn 5, Lost 1 (the Pune Test - because of that Steve Smith and Stephen O'Keeffe).#IndvSA #IndvsSA
— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) October 6, 2019
- And finally, a word of praise for Piedt and Muthusamy, exemplified by this partnership stat.
Only the 3rd time in RSA Test history that the 9th-wkt partnership has doubled their score, or better. Ratio of partnership to score at fall of 8th wkt:
— Ric Finlay (@RicFinlay) October 6, 2019
1.18 Muthusamy/Piedt add 83* from 8-70
1.17 Boucher/Symcox ,195 from 8-166, 1997-98
1.03 Vicent/Coen, 80 from 8-78, 1927-28
(With PTI inputs)