| South Africa 55 (Siraj 6-15) & 62-3 (Markram 36*; Mukesh 2-25) |
| India 153 (34.5 overs): Kohli 46; Rabada 3-38, Ngidi 3-30, Burger 3-42 |
| South Africa trail by 36 runs with 7 wickets remaining |
| Scorecard |
India dismissed South Africa for just 55 before collapsing to 153 all out in reply as 23 wickets fell on an extraordinary opening day in Cape Town.
Mohammed Siraj took career-best figures of 6-15 as the hosts were skittled in 23.2 overs on a bouncy, lively second Test pitch.
India were in complete control at 153-4 but lost their last six wickets for no runs in 11 balls after tea.
South Africa slipped to 62-3 at stumps in their second innings.
With India looking set to build a decisive first-innings lead, Lungi Ngidi took three wickets in the 34th over to spark a stunning collapse.
KL Rahul was his first victim, nicking an uppercut to wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne, before Ravindra Jadeja gloved a rising ball to gully and Jasprit Bumrah was dismissed in similar fashion off the shoulder of the bat.
Virat Kohli, who top-scored with 46, edged Kagiso Rabada to second slip in the next over, Siraj was run out without facing and Prasidh Krishna also nicked to the cordon.
Six batters were out for a duck in India’s innings – and it was the first time a team has lost six wickets without scoring a run in Test history.
Rabada, Ngidi and left-armer Nandre Burger finished with three wickets each.
In total the teams’ first two innings lasted just 349 balls or 58.1 overs – the second-fewest ever – as both sides struggled to deal with the ball rising off a length.
Verreynne was South Africa’s highest first-innings scorer with 15, as only two Proteas batters reached double figures after Elgar won the toss and opted to bat.
Opener Elgar, captaining in his final Test before retiring, was bowled for two by Siraj, who also had Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, David Bedingham, Marco Jansen and Verreynne caught either by the wicketkeeper or in the slips.
Jasprit Bumrah took 2-25 and Mukesh Kumar 2-0.
It was South Africa’s lowest Test total since they were dismissed for 45 by Australia in Melbourne in 1932 and the eighth-lowest score in their history.
The hosts were batting again before the close with Elgar removed for 12 – out twice in a day in his final Test match – and De Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs also dismissed.
Markram remains unbeaten on 36 with Bedingham alongside him and the pair will resume on day two with South Africa still trailing by 36.
Last week South Africa named seven uncapped players in a weakened squad for their next Test series – a tour of New Zealand in February.
Their first-choice players will instead feature in their domestic T20 competition, the SA20.
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