IND vs SA: 1st Test – Numerous records created as hosts thrash the Proteas
India had to fight hard for four days, before turning up the heat on Day 5 to seal a massive victory over South Africa. The Proteas were outgunned and outmatched on the final day. The duo of Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja wreaked havoc. Despite Dane Piedt and Senuran Muthusamy’s stubborn stand, the visitors still ended up losing the contest by 203 runs. With the win, India will be brimming with confidence heading into the second Test in Pune with a 1-0 series lead. The match in Vizag was also memorable for the sheer number of historical records which got created. The pitch was sporting in nature and held across the 5 days of the contest, with both the bowlers and batters reaping rewards. Here we list down a few of those records including Ashwin joining Murali and Jadeja and Rohit creating history.
Ashwin equals Murali
Making his comeback in the Indian side after being out of the reckoning during the tour of the Caribbean, this was certainly a memorable match for Ravichandran Ashwin. He certainly made a statement of intent with his performances, picking up 8 wickets across both the innings in the match.
That was the precise number of scalps which Ashwin required prior to the Test to reach the landmark of 350 wickets in Test cricket. This achievement came about in only 66 Test matches, which enabled him to join the legendary Muttiah Muralitharan at the top of the mountain. Ashwin is now the joint-fastest to 350 wickets along with Murali in the longest format of the game.
Jadeja joins the pantheon of greats
Ashwin’s spin-twin, Ravindra Jadeja also had a memorable outing in Visakhapatnam. He made vital contributions both with the ball and the bat which played a massive role in India’s victory. The match saw Jadeja reaching the landmark of picking 200 wickets in Test cricket with the scalp of Dean Elgar in the first innings.
This achievement came in only 44 matches, making him the fastest left-armer to 200 wickets in the history of the game. He overtook Sri Lankan legend Rangana Herath, who reached the milestone in his 47th Test match. After initial derision and mockery, Jadeja is proving to be one of the biggest match-winners in the history of Indian cricket.
A match for the maximums
This was a match where the ball was dispatched to the stands more often than not. A total of 37 sixes were hit by both the sides in the contest, the most in the history of Test cricket. The previous best was 35 sixes which were hit in the Sharjah Test in 2014 between Pakistan and New Zealand.
Rohit Sharma’s golden start to life as an opener
What a terrific start for Rohit Sharma to his life as an opener in the longest format of the game! The Hitman hit two memorable centuries in both the innings of the match. This feat made him the first batsman in history to hit centuries in both the innings in his first Test match as an opener. He also became only the sixth Indian batsman to hit centuries in both the innings of a Test match. He follows in the footsteps of Vijay Hazare, Sunil Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane to accomplish this feat.
Sharma also hit 13 sixes in the match, the most in the history of the game. He breaks the record of 12 set by Wasim Akram against Zimbabwe at Sheikhupura in 1996 during his marathon knock of 257*. With Rohit in the form of his life, this may well be only a sign of things to come!
