Sachin Tendulkar expresses pure disbelief after India’s Cape Town chaos on Day 1

Virat Kohli vs South Africa. (Photo Source: RODGER BOSCH/AFP via Getty Images)

In a surprising turn of events at Cape Town’s Newlands Cricket Ground, the second Test between India and South Africa witnessed a jaw-dropping 23-wicket havoc on its opening day. Former Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar, reacting to this, shared his disbelief on his social media platform.

Tendulkar conveyed his astonishment at the commencement of the ’24 cricket season, mentioning that cricket in ‘24 kicks off with 23 wickets falling in a single day. 

“Cricket in ‘24 begins with 23 wickets falling in a single day. Unreal! Boarded a flight when South Africa was all out, and now that I’m home, the TV shows South Africa has lost 3 wickets. What did I miss?” Tendulkar tweeted, expressing the astonishment felt.

The havoc unfolded as India, spearheaded by Mohammed Siraj’s stellar performance, bundled out the entire South African batting lineup for a mere 55 runs in the opening session. However, the hosts managed to stage a comeback by dismissing the Indian side for 153 in the subsequent two sessions.

South Africa faced another setback, losing three more wickets in their second innings, concluding the day still trailing by 36 runs from India’s first-innings lead.

Earlier in the day, South Africa’s stand-in captain Dean Elgar, after winning the toss, chose to bat first. However, Mohammed Siraj wreaked havoc by claiming six wickets, while Jasprit Bumrah and Mukesh Kumar chipped in to restrict South Africa to a very low total.

India’s response saw them reaching 153-4 after the Tea break, but a late collapse resulted in losing their final six wickets without adding any further runs. South African bowlers Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Nandre Burger took three wickets each, limiting India’s lead to just 98 runs.

Day 2 promises an exciting continuation as South Africa resume their second innings at 62-3, still trailing by 36 runs and looking to overcome India’s advantage in this nail-biting encounter.