Newlands Cape Town Pitch Report And Test Records For IND vs SA 2nd Match

After a failed batting display in the first Test against South Africa in Centurion, the Indian cricket team will be facing an uphill task in the second Test in Cape Town tomorrow onward.

Historically, pacers have loved the conditions at the Newlands, where there is a lot of bounce and carry on offer. Top Five wicket-takers at this venue being pacers validates the same. As a result, it has been a really tough track for the batters in the past.

The average first-innings score has been 325, whereas the average fourth-innings score has been just 163 runs. Hence, it’s clear that batting in the last innings will put forward a substantial challenge to the batters.

Looking at a glimpse of the pitch on the eve of the match, this doesn’t look like a green-top wicket. Some cracks are already visible to increase the possibility of uneven bounce which could tempt the home team to play a spinner in the form of Keshav Maharaj. Both the captains might opt to bat upon winning the toss.

Newlands Cape Town Test Records

South Africa and India have played six Tests against each other at this venue with the hosts winning four times. India, who have never won a Test match at this stadium, had tasted a 7-wicket defeat during their last outing in 2022.

South Africa stand-in captain Dean Elgar, who scored a match-winning century in the last match, possesses a praiseworthy Test record at this ground. He is the sixth-highest run-scorer here with 741 runs at an average of 46.31 across 11 matches comprising two centuries and three half-centuries. Even Aiden Markram (225) has a decent record here. Former India captain Virat Kohli has scored 141 runs in a couple of Cape Town Tests.

As far as the bowlers are concerned, fast bowler Kagiso Rabada‘s record here has been excellent. His 42 wickets across seven Tests have come at an average and strike rate of 20.95 and 34.11 respectively. Among players part of the current squads, his fellow pacer Marco Jansen has scalped seven wickets in his solitary appearance. Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, on the other hand, has picked 10 wickets across two Tests on this pace-friendly surface.

Highest Test Innings Totals At Newlands Cape Town

It was 22 years ago when Australia had registered the highest successful Test run-chase at Newlands, Cape Town, on the back of chasing down a 331-run target with 4 wickets to spare.

Following a whirlwind century by legendary wicket-keeper batter Adam Gilchrist in the first innings, the then Australian captain Ricky Ponting had touched the three-figure mark on Day 5 – much like the highest successful run-chase in Sydney Tests.

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• India
• India tour of South Africa 2023-24
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