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CAPE TOWN :Seamer Mohammed Siraj took a career-best 6-15 as India skittled hosts South Africa for 55 inside a session on day one of the second and final test at Newlands, before reaching 111 for four at tea in their reply on Wednesday.
India's batting talisman Virat Kohli started the new year on a good note as he re-entered the top 10 in the ICC Test rankings, climbing to ninth position, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the latest ranking update on Wednesday. Kohli, a previous top-ranked batter who fell out of the top 10 in mid-2022, has moved up four spots to ninth place with scores of 38 and 76, but is still 103 rating points behind top-ranked Kane Williamson of New Zealand (864 points). Joe Root comes in second with 859 rating points, while Steve Smith comes in third with 820.
Mohammed Siraj's six-wicket haul against South Africa in the first session of the second Test in Cape Town once again showed India's pace might. Apart from Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah and Muesh Kumar took two wickets each. It was yet another proof of Indian pace bowling being one of the best in the world. In a straight spell of nine overs, Siraj picked a career-best 6 for 15 as the South African batters made a beeline back to the dug-out, unable to counter the disconcerting bounce and the movement, both inward and outward, that he extracted off the surface.
With nothing to lose on the eve of his final international outing, Dean Elgar didn't hold back while expressing his disgust about Cricket South Africa sending a third-string squad to New Zealand under an uncapped captain just because the series is coinciding with the cash-rich SA20. It is a situation the 36-year-old Elgar, the stand-in captain for the second, and final, Test against India at Newlands, termed as "not ideal." "I still think Test cricket will have a future and in speaking to the younger guys in the dressing room, they still live for the format," Elgar said on Tuesday during his last pre-match conference. "The situation we've been put in from a cricketing fraternity perspective isn't ideal and maybe the team that's selected to go to New Zealand isn't ideal for the conversation of how I see Test cricket," Elgar was straightforward in his observations.
Cricket South Africa responded on Tuesday to what it described as "concern" about the country sending a below-strength team to New Zealand, claiming it was unable to agree alternative dates for the series. "We reassure the fans that CSA has the utmost respect for the Test format as the pinnacle of the game we love," the organisation said in a statement. Only seven capped players are in a 14-man squad for the two Test matches in March – only two of whom played in the first Test against India last week – because CSA has given priority to the SA20, a T20 franchise competition.
Former Pakistan pace greats Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis criticised the decision to rest fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi in the third and final Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), with Akram warning players to decide if they want to be the greats of their sport or a millionaire by playing T20 cricket. After Pakistan lost the series 2-0, Shaheen has been rested from the final Test at Sydney, which is also Australia opener David Warner's farewell Test.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma feels that it is each and every ICC member's duty to protect the sanctity of Test cricket as it remains the ultimate format. Cricket South Africa selected seven uncapped players, including an inexperienced first timer Neil Brand, for the upcoming tour of New Zealand to accommodate top stars for the cash-rich SA20, which is coinciding with the Test series. All the SA20 franchises are owned by IPL team owners and the move to prioritize franchise cricket has earned widespread criticism. “For me, Test remains ultimate challenge and we would like to see best players playing that format but everyone has own problems to deal with and make sure there is a reason behind it,” Rohit reacted when asked about the CSA move.
Indian cricket team fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah perfectly imitated teammate Ravichandran Ashwin's bowling action at the nets ahead of the second Test match against South Africa on Tuesday. During the bowling session at the nets, Bumrah was caught bowling spin using Ashwin's action and the video of the incident has gone viral on social media. The fast bowler earned a lot of praise online from the social media users with many of them marveling over how much he was able to replicate the action.