• Team India defeated South Africa in the first Test in Centurion.

  • India won the contest by a huge margin of 113 runs.

Cricket fraternity goes wild as India beat South Africa by 113 runs to create history in Centurion
Team India beat South Africa in Centurion Test (Image Source: Twitter)

Table of Contents

Team India scripted history after defeating South Africa by 113 runs on Day 5 of the Boxing Day Test at SuperSport Park in Centurion. India became the first Asian Team to register a win in Centurion, which is considered as South Africa’s fortress.

India’s Test wins in South Africa:

  • 123 runs – Johannesburg 2006/07
  • 87 runs – Durban 2010/11
  • 63 runs – Johannesburg 2017/18
  • 113 runs – Centurion 2021/22

Resuming the day at 94/4, the South African side reached the triple-figure mark with skipper Dean Elgar hitting a boundary on the fifth ball of the day to pacer Mohammed Shami. During the 46th over, Shami got a caught and bowled chance of well-set Elgar, but he failed to hold onto it, giving the Proteas captain a valuable lifetime.

But Elgar failed to capitalise on the lifeline as he was trapped in front by Jasprit Bumrah for 77. After Elgar’s wicket, Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma partnered for 31 runs and took the team’s total past the 150-run mark.

The partnership, however, was broken by Mohammed Siraj as the left-handed batter once again played on while going for a cut shot. In the next over, Shami produced a magical delivery to get rid of Wiaan Mulder for just 1 as India further inched closer to victory.

Bavuma and debutant Marco Jansen showed some resistance as the hosts managed 182/7 till lunch on day-5. But in the very first over in the second session, Shami once again bowled a beauty to send back Jansen for 13. Soon, Ravichandran Ashwin joined the party and finished the proceedings by picking the final two wickets to help India register history.

Brief scores: India 327 (KL Rahul 123; Lungi Ngidi 6/71) & 174 (Rishabh Pant 34; Kagiso Rabada 4/42) beat South Africa 197 (Temba Bavuma 52; Mohammed Shami 5/44) & 191 (Dean Elgar 77; Jasprit Bumrah 3/50) by 113 runs.

Notably, 2021 is the second time India have won four Tests outside Asia in a calendar year (Brisbane, Lord’s, Oval, Centurion). The previous such instance was in 2018 (Johannesburg, Nottingham, Adelaide, Melbourne).

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About the Author:
AKSHAT GAUR
Akshat is the Sr. Content Strategist at CricketTimes.com. With a passion for storytelling and a keen eye for detail, Akshat has honed his skills over 6 years, working with various media outlets, publications, and organizations to deliver high-quality content that informs, educates, and entertains audiences. He is just another cricket fan who’s grown up watching the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. Cricket runs in his veins. Cover drive is his favorite sight, and a ball meeting the middle of the bat is his favorite sound. You can write to him at akshat.gaur@crickettimes.com and follow him on Twitter, Facebook & Linkedin.