Updated World Test Championship Points Table As South Africa Stun India By 30 Runs In 1st Test
The Indian cricket team suffered its first defeat at Kolkata’s iconic Eden Gardens since December 2012 as South Africa secured a 30-run victory in the first Test on Sunday. On a lively Eden Gardens pitch, India suffered a dramatic batting-order collapse as they looked to chase down a target of 124 runs. The team was without the services of skipper Shubman Gill in the second innings after he suffered a neck injury while batting in the first innings. Gill’s absence turned out to be incredibly costly for the Indian team.
Courtesy of the defeat, India dropped down to the No. 4 spot in the World Test Championship points table, with 4 wins and 3 losses in 8 matches so far. Australia continue to occupy the No. 1 spot, with 3 wins from 3 matches, while South Africa jumped to the No. 2 spot, with 2 wins and 1 loss in the 3 matches they have played so far. Sri Lanka are positioned third, with one win and one draw in two matches.
Updated World Test Championship Standings:
The nature of the pitch became a big talking point in the match as the contest lasted for only three days. Offering excessive seam movement, variable bounce, and early turn, the surface ensured that no batsman found their rhythm, resulting in four innings where the highest total was just 189 runs.
The Indian pace attack, led by the brilliant Jasprit Bumrah, was devastating in the first innings. Bumrah’s masterful spell saw him claim a five-wicket haul (5/27), restricting South Africa to a mere 159. Despite the tricky conditions, India’s lower order managed to eke out a slim but valuable 30-run first-innings lead, being dismissed for 189. KL Rahul was the only Indian batter to show sustained resistance, while a neck injury in the first innings unfortunately ruled out Gill for the remainder of the match.
South Africa’s second innings became a battle of attrition, lifted by a heroic effort from captain Temba Bavuma. Barring the skipper, no batter managed to show resistance on a pitch that kept everyone guessing. Bavuma’s unbeaten 55 was the only half-century scored in the entire Test, an innings of immense character that helped the visitors reach 153. This set India a seemingly straightforward target of 124 runs for victory. However, the chasing innings quickly devolved into a nightmare for the hosts as the pitch offered no respite and the South African bowlers were relentless.
The decisive blow came from the South African attack as India crumbled to just 93 runs.
Topics mentioned in this article
