India becomes 1st team to lose 6 wickets without adding run in Tests, bundle out for 153

India failed to take mammoth lead against South Africa in the first innings and were bowled out for meagre 153 runs on Wednesday. Virat Kohli top-scored with 46 while captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill made 39 and 36 respectively. India faced just 34.5 overs. They had resumed the post-tea session at 111 for 4. India lost six wickets in 11 balls for no run.

Cape Town (South Africa): Strange is Test cricket. India was poised at 153 for 4 during their first innings of the second Test at the Newlands here on Wednesday.

But happened after that was unreal. First Lungi Ngidi wreaked havoc as he took three wickets in one over. Then Aiden Markram took a stunner to dismiss a set Virat Kohli. A mix-up happened between Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj and the latter, who had shone with the ball, had to make the long walk back to the pavilion. And then immediately after India was bundled out for 153.

• From 153/4 to 153 all out 😲
  
  After South Africa, India too have been bowled out on Day 1 ☝#WTC25 | 📝 #SAvIND: https://t.co/ie8HUxBDc8 pic.twitter.com/hIcqFTdrke

  — ICC (@ICC) January 3, 2024 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  From 153/4 to 153 all out 😲
  
  After South Africa, India too have been bowled out on Day 1 ☝#WTC25 | 📝 #SAvIND: https://t.co/ie8HUxBDc8 pic.twitter.com/hIcqFTdrke

  — ICC (@ICC) January 3, 2024

  ">

  From 153/4 to 153 all out 😲
  
  After South Africa, India too have been bowled out on Day 1 ☝#WTC25 | 📝 #SAvIND: https://t.co/ie8HUxBDc8 pic.twitter.com/hIcqFTdrke

  — ICC (@ICC) January 3, 2024

So the Rahul Dravid-led team did not trouble the scorers and lost six wickets without adding a run. This is the first instance of such a thing happening in Test cricket.

Wednesday was also the day when 20 wickets (10 South Africa and 10 India) fell inside a day on a pitch that did not look so dangerous for batting. Earlier for India, Mohammed Siraj, who hails from Hyderabad was the wrecker-in-chief as India bundled out South Africa for 55.

India also achieved a dubious record in their first innings when six of their batters fell for a duck (zero). Six ducks in India’s innings is the the joint-most in a Test innings. It is the 8th instance of six ducks in a Test inn for any team and the second for India. Six India batters got duck out vs England at Manchester in 2014 as well.

It is unreal that on the first day of the Test match, 20 wickets have fallen and it was the pacers who were all over the batters

Brief Scores:
South Africa: 55 all out in 23.2 overs (Kyle Verreynne 15; Mohammed Siraj 6/15).
India: 153 all out in 34.5 overs (Virat Kohli 46, Rohit Sharma 39, Shubman Gill 36; Lungi Ngidi 3/30, Kagiso Rabada 3/38, Nandre Burger 3/42).

Read More