“What Did I Miss?”: Sachin Tendulkar Recaps Memorable Moments From Day 1 in Cape Town as 23 Wickets Fall

The great Sachin Tendulkar was astounded by what transpired on Day 1 of the second Test between India and South Africa in Cape Town on Wednesday, as were cricket enthusiasts everywhere. On the first day of the match, bowlers went on the rampage, taking full advantage of the very helpful Newlands surface, falling wicket for a total of 23. While Tendulkar was on an aircraft, he missed much of the action, while many fans and commentators saw wickets falling in front of him.

The Master Blaster captured the chaos of the first day on social media when he took to the site X, which was once known as Twitter. He detailed how fast batters were spectacularly disqualified in Cape Town.

The first day of cricket in ’24 saw the loss of 23 wickets in one day. Amazing! When I got home, the TV showed that South Africa had lost three wickets. I had boarded the aircraft when they were all out. “What have I overlooked?” Sachin posted on X.

In the year 24 cricket starts with 23 wickets in a single day.
Amazing!
When I got home, the TV showed that South Africa had lost three wickets. I had boarded the aircraft when they were all out.
What was it that I overlooked?#SAvIND

— Tendulkar Sachin (@sachin_rt) 3 January 2024
South Africa ended the second innings with 62 for three, remaining 36 runs shy of India’s first innings total of 153, having been bowled out for 55 in the first.

On a wicket that provided significant assistance to the fast bowlers throughout the day, South Africa was bowled out before noon thanks to a spectacular career-best effort of six for 15 from Mohammed Siraj.

The score was the lowest for South Africa in over ninety-two years when they were bowled out for thirty-six and forty-five by Australia in February 1932 at Melbourne on a ground impacted by rain.

In a Test match against India, it was the lowest total ever by any side, defeating New Zealand’s 62 in Mumbai in December 2021.

Siraj bowled a flawless nine overs in the same fashion.

In his last Test match, the stand-in captain of South Africa, Dean Elgar, was dismissed twice on the first day.

Elgar’s Test batting career came to an embarrassing end when he was dismissed for four and twelve, with an average of 37.92 and 5347 runs in 86 matches.

In the first innings, Elgar was dismissed by Siraj, and in the second, Virat Kohli caught him off first slip off Mukesh Kumar.

After his second ejection, Indian players rushed to shake his hand as he grudgingly departed the field.

Aiden Markram, Elgar’s opening partner, made only two runs in the first innings but was more in control in the second and ended up undefeated at 36.

But both rookie Tristan Stubbs and Tony de Zorzi were out for one run.

In a contest that lasted only three days, South Africa emerged victorious in the first Test at Centurion by an innings and thirty-two runs. It seems that the second test will be considerably shorter.