During the second Test against South Africa at Newlands in Cape Town, India faced an unexpected and rapid batting collapse, losing six wickets in just 11 balls without adding a single run on the opening day.
Lungi Ngidi played a crucial role in this collapse, taking three wickets in five balls during the 34th over. The comfortable position India held at 153 for four quickly turned into a crisis as Ngidi dismissed KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Jasprit Bumrah in a triple-wicket maiden over.
The situation worsened for India in the next over when Kagiso Rabada got Virat Kohli out with an outside edge, dashing any hopes of a comeback. A mix-up between Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna led to Siraj being run out in the same over, and Prasidh Krishna was dismissed off the following delivery. India was bowled out for 153 in just 33.5 overs, holding a lead of 98 runs.
This collapse set a new record for Test cricket, as it’s the most number of wickets ever fallen on a specific score in a Test innings. No other team, in the history of Test cricket since 1877, has lost more than five wickets at a particular score. Previously, there were only four instances where five wickets fell on a specific score.
Earlier in the day, Mohammed Siraj had a stellar performance, picking six wickets to dismantle the South African batting lineup, which was dismissed for a meager 55 runs after their skipper Dean Elgar chose to bat.
In reaction to the unprecedented collapse, cricket enthusiasts and experts expressed their astonishment.
Fans took to social media to share their disbelief, with one user saying, “I’ve never seen anything like this in Test cricket before.”
