Ind vs SA 2nd Test | India need 79 runs to level series

Match report of the India vs South Africa 2nd Test at Cape Town on January 4, 2024

Aiden Markram scored the most combative hundred of his career but a vintage Jasprit Bumrah morning spell kept India firmly on course for a series-levelling win against South Africa at lunch on day two of the second Test here on Thursday.

Markram threw caution to the wind as he smashed his way to 106 off just 103 balls, singlehandedly steering Proteas to 176 all out in 36.5 overs at stroke of lunch and leaving India with a victory target of 79 on a spicy pitch .

The match is almost certain to finish by tea time and possibly will be the shortest Test match (in terms of overs bowled).

The ball didn’t fly off the surface as much as it did on the opening day but with enough juice available to get movement off the surface, Bumrah (6/61 in 13.5 overs) from his back of length approach in the first essay reverted to a more traditional fuller length deliveries to set the alarm bells ringing for the Proteas.

This was his ninth five-wicket haul in Test cricket.

Sensing that he could soon run out of partners once David Bedingham (11) edged one behind the stumps and Kyle Verreynne misjudged the length while going for an unnecessary pull-shot, Markram started attacking the inexperienced Mukesh Kumar (2/56 in 10 overs) and Prasidh Krishna (1/27 in 4 overs), who has been the weakest link in India's pace attack in his debut series.

With Indian skipper Rohit Sharma rightly setting an attacking field, Markram, found it easy to muscle the balls through the gaps as he hit 17 fours and two mighty sixes off Prasidh.