The purists would smirk at the very idea but it certainly makes for a raging debate: a shortened Test match producing a result or an exciting stalemate which has gone the distance.
The chain of events that unfolded over two days at Newlands in Cape Town would continue to be talked about in the same breath as India’s series-levelling seven-wicket victory on Thursday.
When Shreyas Iyer hit the winning boundary — his only notable contribution in the series — off the 642nd ball of the match, it became the shortest-ever to produce a result in Test history.
This was not the first time India had attained victory within two days, having recorded similar feats against Afghanistan in Bangalore in 2018 and versus England in Ahmedabad almost three years ago.
South Africa remains the final frontier for India but the Newlands victory was India’s first at this venue in seven attempts. Rohit Sharma also became the second Indian captain to draw a series in South Africa after Mahendra Singh Dhoni in 2010-11. The triumph also put India at the top of the World Test Championship table with 26 points while South Africa and New Zealand are tied second.
The two-Test series produced only 15 sessions in all — 7 in the first game in Centurion and 5 in Cape Town. With no decider slotted, the joke doing the rounds at the stadium was if the two teams would agree to a third Test since three days still remained.
There’s no doubt that such outcomes will only add further fuel to the demands of a four-day Test.
But Rohit’s relief was palpable, having faced a lot of flak after their ignominious innings loss in the opener. Personally too, the Team India captain had been under a lot of stress following the loss in the World Cup final and being stripped of Mumbai Indians’ captaincy.
“A great feat. In Centurion, we had to learn from the mistakes we made in that Test. We came back pretty well, especially our bowlers. Even though the conditions were tough for batters, you still got to put the ball in the right areas,” Rohit said after the victory.
The Newlands pitch will come in for a lot of criticism though Aiden Markram scored a stunning hundred — 106 off 103 balls — where none of his teammates reached 20 in either innings; Kyle Verreynne’s 15 in the first innings was their next best.
Mohammed Siraj celebrates the wicket of South Africa's batter Aiden Markram during the second day of the second Test match between India and South Africa, at the Newlands Cricket Ground, in Cape Town. PTI picture
The pacers called the shots on a wicket which offered uneven bounce with none of the spinners from both teams required to bowl an over. Mohammed Siraj’s stunning spell of 6/15 demolished the hosts for 55 in 23.2 overs on the opening day though none of the Indian batters were up for the challenge barring Virat Kohli and Rohit.
The 98-run lead seemed too little at one stage but Jasprit Bumrah rose to the occasion with 6/61 as India needed only 79 for victory.
The match lasted just 107 overs as India chose an attacking ploy for survival.
“Siraj’s spell is something you don’t get to see quite often. We spoke about keeping things very simple, because the pitch will do the rest for us and that’s exactly what happened. You still have to come and do it,” Rohit said.
But will such shortened Tests attract spectators to the stadiums in the face of challenges posed by T20 cricket and the franchise leagues? Will the Newlands pitch attract a ban for poor rating by the ICC match referee?
These are things to ponder, but for now, Rohit’s team can bask in the glory of their maiden victory in Cape Town and a tied series.
