India level series with 7-wicket win in 2-day finish

Cape Town, Jan 4 (PTI) India beat South Africa by seven wickets to share the honours in the two-match series as the second Test ended inside five sessions here on Thursday.

Visiting India thus completed a remarkable comeback after losing the first Test in Centurion by an innings and 32 runs.

Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah finished with excellent figures of 6/61 as India bowled South Africa out for 176 to set themselves a target of 79, after Aiden Markram had struck a magnificent, counterattacking 106 off 103 balls before lunch.

The hosts completed the chase in the second session with skipper Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer remaining not out on 17 and 4 respectively.

This is the shortest Test match ever in terms of overs bowled, bettering the previous best that involved Australia and South Africa at the MCG way back in 1932.

A total of 106.2 overs were bowled in this match while 109.2 overs were bowled in that 1932-match that Australia had won.

Earlier, India’s pace spearhead Bumrah bowled beautifully after the opening day’s play saw a staggering 23 wickets fall on a very quick Newlands surface with inconsistent bounce.

India had collapsed to 153 all out in their first innings in the final session of day one after skittling out South Africa for 55.

South Africa were 62 for three overnight, trailing by 36 runs.

Brief Scores:

South Africa: 55 and 176 all out in 36.5 overs (Aiden Markram 106; Jasprit Bumrah 6/61).

India: 153 all out and 80/3 in 12 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 28).