Relentless Shami, Bumrah help India go 1-0 up with first win in Centurion
India's convincing win came despite a whole day's play lost to rain and more showers expected on the final day
26/12Result
1st Test, India tour of South Africa at Centurion, Dec 26-30 2021
-
![India]( "India")
327 & 174 -
![South Africa]( "South Africa")
197 & 191 (68 ov)
Player of the Match
26/12Result
1st Test, India tour of South Africa at Centurion, Dec 26-30 2021
-
![India]( "India")
327 & 174 -
![South Africa]( "South Africa")
197 & 191 (68 ov)
Player of the Match
Day 5
Joy of defensive game key to KL Rahul's Centurion success
Since being dropped from the Indian Test side after a poor run, the opener has stormed back to form
Could missing the rest of the series be a good thing for de Kock?
It's the second high-profile series in which he looks a little out of sorts and the break could help him regain his touch
Stats - A rare defeat for South Africa in Centurion
India registered their eighth Test win in 2021, their joint second-most in a calendar year
Kohli: Shami among 'best three seamers in world at the moment'
India Test captain lauds the quick after his eight-wicket match haul
Elgar rues lack of runs in first innings for Test loss
South Africa captain says lack of match awareness and match fitness also played a role coming into the series
Two kinds of Jasprit Bumrah magic
One was an intended bit of magic, while the other was a reward from the cricketing gods
Day 4
Bumrah's late strikes tilt game India's way
South Africa are under the pump on a pitch offering plenty of help
The yin and yang of Kohli's cover drive
Batting coach Vikram Rathour says Kohli "needs to pick maybe better balls, at times"
The promise of Jansen and Petersen to help South Africa rebuild
They have a tall and young left-arm seamer, and a batter reaching his prime to fill key roles for the future
Day 3
India secure big lead on day of 18 wickets
Mohammed Shami's five-for negates India collapse to Lungi Ngidi on full day of cricket
South Africa's batting rebuild will take time
They did collapse against India but that's because most of the players in the top six are still getting used to Test cricket
Classical Shami completes his evolution into champion bowler
On Tuesday, he showed the range of skills to keep getting wickets even as uncertain bounce became less of an issue
Shami: 'If I'm here today, the credit goes to my brother and father'
Fast bowler says India's Test success is the "result of the work we've put in over the last 6-7 years"
Day 2
Persistent rain washes out day two at Centurion
Clearer weather is expected on days three and four, but there is more rain forecast for day five
Covid-19 after-effects, hamstring niggle forced Duanne Olivier to sit out Centurion Test
Anrich Nortje, who has been ruled out of the series because of a hip injury, has undergone a bone scan
Day 1
Rahul hits hundred as India punish wayward South Africa
Agarwal chips in with half-century as well as visitors take control of the Boxing Day Test
Did South Africa get their selections and strategies right?
Their attack, promising on paper, proved to have neither much bark nor bite against the Indian top five
Stats - KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal scale rare heights for India openers in SA
All the key stats and numbers from the opening day's play in Centurion
Stats: Cheteshwar Pujara's front-foot defending woes
His collapsed back leg while defending on the front foot has often helped him, but it has also caused his downfall often in recent times
Leave it to KL: How Rahul constructed a classic Test innings
Impeccable judgment outside the off stump leaves South Africa short of answers
Others
Stats - Quinton de Kock has been one of South Africa's - and the game's - finest wicketkeeper-batters
With the bat and behind the stumps, the South African put up some outstanding numbers
KL Rahul, Lungi Ngidi rise in ICC rankings after Centurion face-off
Shami, Bavuma, Bumrah, Agarwal and Elgar also move up in the latest update
India docked one WTC point for over-rate offence in Centurion Test
Team also fined 20% of match fee for the offence
If Dravid the coach is anything like Dravid the captain, be ready for unpopular calls
There's no doubt he will have had more than one difficult conversation by the time Boxing Day dawns
KL Rahul hints India may stick to five-bowler strategy for Boxing Day Test
"I think the workload also becomes slightly easier to manage with five bowlers, and when you have that kind of quality, you might as well use it"
Elgar: 'Playing in our backyard gives us the upper hand'
"Their strength at the moment lies in their bowling. We are extremely aware of that as well"
Duanne Olivier on South Africa comeback: 'I think my nerves will be shot through the roof'
Kolpak-returnee quick opens up on his time away from the national team and the thrill of potentially making the XI against India
India look to breach another fortress as they take on transitioning South Africa
Both teams possess potent bowling line-ups, but it's difficult to judge their batting units before the series begins
