Newlands pitch under scanner as 23 wickets fall in 75.1 overs on Day 1 of SA vs IND 2nd Test

In a chaotic Day 1 of South Africa vs India 2nd Test, records broke like ten pins. In 75.1 overs of play, 23 wickets fell in Newlands, Cape Town in the SA vs IND 2nd Test. Yet, barring Mark Nicholas on the commentary panel, no one raised a voice on the pitch. Had it been Indian pitch and spinners bagging the wickets, England and Australian media as well as their former and current greats would have been vocal with social media going abuzz. Here, nothing of that sort happened.

The pitch was mentioned only once throughout Day 1 of SA vs IND 2nd Test. But Newlands pitch raised questions as there was no contest between the bat and the ball with pacers bagging 20 wickets in 58.1 overs.

South Africa were bowled out for 55 runs with Mohammed Siraj bagging six wickets. And then, India shot in their feet with last six wickets falling for a duck in just 11 balls. India were bowled out for 153 with a 98-run lead, forcing South Africa to bat again on Day 1 with 27 overs still to go on Day 1.

To make things worse for batters, there was uneven bounce on Newlands pitch. And South Africa suffered again in the 2nd innings as they closed the day at 62/3, making it 23 wickets on Day 1.

And with that, Cape Town Test entered history books. It is now second in terms of Most Wickets Falling on Day 1 of a Test match.

Most Wickets on Day 1:

25: AUS vs ENG, Melbourne, 1902
23: – SA vs IND, Cape Town, 2024
22: ENG vs AUS, The Oval, 1890
22: AUS vs WI, Adelaide, 1951
21: SA vs ENG, Gqeberha, 1896

SA vs IND 2nd Test: Session-wise

Session	Overs	Runs	Wickets	RR
Session 1	23.2	55	10	2.4
Session 2	24	111	4	4.6
Session 3	27.5	104	9	3.7

Most wickets on a single day

27: ENG vs AUS, Lord’s, 1888 (Day 2)
25: AUS vs ENG, Melbourne, 1902 (Day 1)
24: ENG vs AUS, The Oval, 1896 (Day 2)
24: IND vs AFG, Bengaluru, 2018 (Day 2)
23: SA vs AUS, Cape Town, 2011 (Day 2)
23: SA vs IND, Cape Town, 2024 (Day 1)

Fans furious with Newlands Pitch

Almost 20 wickets gone in 58 overs, and there's almost 20 overs still to go today. Strangely, there is no uproar about this Cape Town pitch, unlike the reactions we'd see on a turning track.
— Shivani Shukla (@iShivani_Shukla) January 3, 2024

17 wickets have already fallen on day one at Cape Town, and there are still 30 overs to go. The Icelandic Cricket Association will need to send its pitch inspectors. The image shows one of our better tracks. pic.twitter.com/DOcBzvLg8V
— Iceland Cricket (@icelandcricket) January 3, 2024

What an absolutely outrageous phase of play. 153-4 to 153 all out. Pure chaos, proper madness.

2 innings done, 1 full session left. No talk about the pitch eh?
— Srini Mama (@SriniMaama16) January 3, 2024

How will ICC rate Cape Town pitch? 20 wickets on Day 1, few more overs to go. #INDvsSA
— Harish Upadhya (@harishupadhya) January 3, 2024

#SAvIND 20 wickets in less than 60 overs in first 2 sessions, on 1st day of the test…not a word against the pitch or groundsmen…had this been on any of the Indian pitches…all the hell would have fallen loose…#AskStar @WasimJaffer14 @venkateshprasad
— Sachin Singh (@sachinsingh1010) January 3, 2024

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