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South Africa have registered a historic red-ball triumph on Indian soil after 15 years after romping to a 30-run victory in the first Test at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Day 3, Sunday 16 November. The Proteas have taken a 1-0 lead in the two-match series after defending a 124-run target with a sticky target.
Left-arm pacer Marco Jansen dismissed the first two in the last innings before the spinners took over to completely dismantle the Indian batting unit. Without injured skipper Shubman Gill, the Men in Blue struggled to have a voice in the chase. Off-spinner Simon Harmer led the charge with four wickets to bowl India out for just 93 runs and register a memorable triumph for the visiting side.
Ahead of the contest, South Africa were placed fourth in the World Test Championship (WTC) rankings with a PCT of 50 after their 1-1 series draw against Pakistan recently. This historic win now propels them to second place in the table with an improved PCT of 66 after three games played. Australia still sit at the top of the rankings with an unblemished record after their clean sweep in the West Indies a couple of months ago.
Indiainstead, they were third in the WTC ranking with a PCT of 61.90 after their series results against England and West Indies. However, the recent loss hurts them badly as they drop to fourth place, with their PCT worsening to 54.17. Sri Lanka, with their 1-0 series win over Bangladesh, are now ranked third with a PCT of 66.67.
The Men in Blue have played eight tests this cycle so far, winning four, losing three and drawing one.
Team India will face South Africa in the second Test in Guwahati from November 22
The men in blue are now under immense pressure to avoid a second series defeat at home in just over a year when they take on the Proteas in the second and final Test of the series.
Team India has additional worries heading into the contest, with the skipper Shubman Gill doubtful for the contest due to a neck injury suffered on Day 2 of the series opener.
The contest is scheduled to begin from Saturday, November 22 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. It will be the first time that the venue will host a Test match.
Edited by Gokul Nair
