On a scarcely believable day, in which South Africa batted twice and 23 wickets fell in total, it is India who are firmly in control in the second Test match at Newlands — leading by 36 runs.

The carnage began in the first session of the match when the Proteas capitulated, bowled out for a remarkably low score of 55 in only 23.2 overs after winning the toss and electing to bat.

Mohammed Siraj of India appeals unsuccessfully for LBW on day one of the second Test against South Africa at Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town on 3 January 2024. (Photo: Grant Pitcher / Gallo Images)

Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj made perfect use of the swing, seam and extra bounce on offer, producing career-best figures of six wickets for 15 runs in nine overs — all bowled in succession in the Cape Town heat.

“I’ve played a lot of cricket here. I was also a coach here and I’ve never seen the pitch play that quick,” Proteas batting consultant Ashwell Prince said after the match.

“Some of the things I’ve seen today, I’ve never seen at Newlands before.”

Nandre Burger celebrates the wicket of Shreyas Iyer on day one of the second Test against South Africa at Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town on 3 January 2024. (Photo: Ryan Wilkisky / BackpagePix)

After lunch, India battled their way to a commendable 153 for four in trying conditions against nagging fast bowling before an almighty, unprecedented collapse.

With India seemingly in cruise control with Virat Kohli and KL Rahul combining for a steady 43-run partnership, Lungi Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada manufactured the unimaginable.

In the space of two overs, the big quicks took six wickets – including one run-out – while conceding no runs. India went from 153 for four to 153 all-out in 11 deliveries.

In the process, India became the first team to lose six wickets without scoring a run in Test cricket.

Proteas captain Dean Elgar played his last Test innings at Newlands on day one of the second Test against South Africa at Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town on 3 January 2024. (Photo: Grant Pitcher / Gallo Images)

The action didn’t end there as stand-in skipper Dean Elgar, Tony de Zorzi and debutant Tristan Stubbs lost their wickets in the final session.

For Elgar, it was both his penultimate and final innings of Test cricket on the same day as he departed for a total of 16 runs (four and 12).

His career ended in as peculiar a fashion as it started. The gritty batter recorded a pair (a duck in both innings) on debut against Australia on 30 November 2012.

The 86-cap veteran left the field on the final session of the match with the crowd at Newlands Cricket Stadium on its feet and applause from the 11 Indian players on the field.

Record-breaking day

The records tumbled in front of the sold-out crowd in Cape Town as the 23 wickets fell, the equal record number of wickets to have fallen at Newlands in one day.

The last time 20 wickets or more fell on the first day of a Test match was in 1951 when Australia took on the West Indies in Adelaide.

In South Africa’s first innings, there were very few plays and misses, only edges and those edges finding slip fielders.

Ravindra Jadeja of India on day one of the second Test against South Africa at Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town on 3 January 2024. (Photo: Grant Pitcher / Gallo Images)

Only two South African batters reached double figures, with David Bedingham scoring 12 and Kyle Verreynne making 15 before Siraj snagged both their edges, caught by Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill respectively.

Outside of Elgar, who dragged on a Siraj delivery, everyone else was caught out, mostly behind square as the ball nipped around just enough to kiss the outside edge of the South African batters’ willow.

The Proteas were skittled for 55, their lowest post-isolation total. South Africa’s previous lowest total was against India — 79 in Nagpur in November 2015

There was very little resistance from any South African batters on a pitch that played as if conjured up by a fast bowler.

David Bedingham of South Africa on day one of the second Test against South Africa at Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town on 3 January 2024. (Photo: Ryan Wilkisky / BackpagePix

Interestingly, Elgar won the toss and elected to bat, expecting the pitch to die down after lunch, as it often does on the first day at Newlands. But the Proteas batters didn’t even reach the two-hour break.

Siraj had his five-for in an hour-and-a-half of play, running in with tamed aggression in baking-hot conditions.

Mukesh Kumar, playing his second Test match, took two wickets in two overs and two balls without conceding a run to help wrap up the tail.

A unique collapse

Rabada castled Yashasvi Jaiswal in the third over of India’s innings to put immediate pressure on the guests, but a surprisingly fluent 55-run partnership between Gill and Rohit Sharma took India ahead of South Africa’s first innings within 10 overs.

Nandre Burger, who didn’t take the new ball after his exploits in the first Test when he was so effective, found a rhythm in his second spell to knock over both set batters.

Kohli, after edging behind safely on the second delivery he faced, looked to be batting on a different surface to everyone else.

He struck a typically graceful 46 off 59 deliveries before being part of a record batting collapse.

Ngidi started the Test match slowly, conceding 13 runs in his first over. After five overs he had cost the side 30 runs. But the skilful quick turned it around in his sixth.

He exploited the movement off the deck and the bounce in the wicket to take the wickets of Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah in a brilliant triple wicket maiden.

Rabada followed that up with two wickets of his own, a run-out by Burger, and no runs conceded in one of the best two consecutive overs seen at the ground.

In South Africa’s second innings, it was only Aiden Markram in the top four who managed to protect his wicket before the end of day’s play.

He looked relatively comfortable in near unbearable conditions to finish on 36 not out, striking six exquisite boundaries.

Bedingham is the other batter at the crease on seven. The two will continue tomorrow 36 runs behind and with a mountain of work to clinch the series 2-0. Or at least, to make India bat again. DM