India strolled to a series win over South Africa after a dominant victory by an innings and 137 runs in the 2nd Test at Pune. Virat Kohli’s men had little difficulty in drubbing the Proteas – and apart from a brief fightback from the Keshav Maharaj and Vernon Philander duo in both the innings – India hardly faced any obstacles in a lop-sided Test match. The massive victory not only sealed the three-match Test series for India but also completed a record 11 Test victories on home soil for Virat Kohli and his boys. Both India and South Africa rewrote a series of records in Pune, with the visiting side even notching a couple of unwanted records. Aiden Markram, who bagged a pair in the 2nd Test, also completed an undesirable milestone.
Umesh Yadav, who needed only two deliveries to fetch a wicket on return to Test cricket after almost a year, took another three-wicket haul to take his match figures to six wickets, while Jadeja also took a three-fer in South Africa’s second innings. Ashwin, who had four from the first essay, also finished with six scalps. South Africa were bowled out for 189 in the second innings with only four batsmen – including Keshav Maharaj and Vernon Philander – crossing double figures. The Maharaj-Philander duo, who saved South Africa’s blushes with a century-stand in the first innings – stitched another 55-run partnership for the eighth wicket but couldn’t save the match – and eventually the series – for their side.
# India beat South Africa by an innings and 137 runs to win the second Test match in Pune.
# The massive victory helped India seal the three-match Test series with one match remaining. India currently hold a 2-0 unassailable lead in the series.
# India has also now won a record 11 consecutive Test series at home. A feat not matched by any other team in Test cricket. India overtook Australia’s run of 10 successive wins from 1994 to 2000 and from 2004 to 2008.
# Virat Kohli has the third-most wins among skippers to have captained in at least 50 Test matches. The 30-year-old has 30 won times in 50 matches as captain. Steve Waugh leads the chart with 37 victories, while Ricky Ponting is second with 35 victories.
# The innings victory in Pune was India’s only second win over South Africa by an innings or more. India’s first win against the Proteas by an innings came at Kolkata in 2010.
This was also India’s eighth victory by an innings and more under the captaincy of Virat Kohli. The 30-year-old is joint second with Mohammad Azharuddin. MS Dhoni tops the elite list with 9 wins.
# South Africa have now lost six successive Test matches away from home. It is the Proteas’ second-worst tally of successive away defeats. They had lost 10 successive away matches from 1911 to 1924.
# Virat Kohli became the first Indian captain to enforce the follow-on on South Africa. Kohli is also the
# Ravichandran Ashwin has now dismissed Dean Elgar six times. It is the most number of times Elgar has got out to a particular bowler in Test cricket.
# Ashwin has Also now dismissed South African skipper Faf du Plessis Thrice in four innings in the Test series.
# Aiden Markram was dismissed for a pair in the 2nd Test match making him the fourth South African opener to bag a pair in India.
# Virat Kohli Also Completed 1000 Test Runs Against South Africa. He Is The Fastest Indian Batsman To Get There.
Earlier, India skipper Kohli opted to enforce the follow-on making him the first Indian captain and also the first in 11 years to enforce the follow-on on South Africa. England, in 2008, was the last team to impose the follow on the Proteas. South Africa then – recovering from a horrendous first inning – batted out the match and went to beat England 2-1 in the four-match Test series. It, however, wasn’t the same in Pune where they lost their opener in only the second over. Take a look at the some of the records and stat highlights from Day 4 of the 2nd India vs South Africa Test match.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 13, 2019 05:22 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).