IND vs SA, 1st Test: Rohit Sharma’s Men Lose WTC 2023-25 Top Spot After Defeat To South Africa

Centurion: Humiliated by South Africa within three days in the first Test in Centurion on Thursday, India lost the top spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 standings. India entered the series at the top position but their defeat by an innings and 32 runs saw them drop to the fifth position. Meanwhile, South Africa jumped to the top spot.

After the first match, India now have 44.44 percentage points while South Africa sit with 100 percentage points. With this loss, India extended their 31-year wait for a Test series win in South Africa. Having scored 245 in the first innings, the Indian batters managed only 131 in 34.1 overs in the second innings after South Africa managed a handsome 408 in its first essay.

Only redemption now could be 1-1 draw if they managed to square the series during the New Year’s Test in Cape Town. Indian team put up a shoddy batting show, which signified its cluelessness and singular lack of preparedness for a tough assignment like this. The team also looked a bit like its skipper, dishevelled and without any plan B for course correction.

The incomparable Kagiso Rabada (2/32 in 12 overs) along with left-arm seamers Nandre Burger (4/33 in 10) and Marco Jansen (3/36 in 7.1 overs) made the Indian batters hop, skip and jump as the capacity crowd enjoying their Christmas and New Year’s vacation lapped up every moment of action with great enthusiasm.

With India’s third and fourth pacers leaking runs galore, South Africa managed 408 in the first innings as Indians gave a lovely ‘farewell present’ to Dean Elgar, who played an uncharacteristically attacking innings of 185 in his penultimate Test.

Even Marco Jansen (84 not out off 147 balls) made merry on a track where fast bowlers would have been licking their lips. With 163 runs in arrears, there was little chance of survival on a track where the ball was flying around and also jagging a fair bit.

Once Elgar and Jansen batted India out of the match, least one expected was a decent fightback but save Virat Kohli (76), who showed why he is cut above the rest in terms of technique and temperament, others were found wanting. He was the only one, who could partially conquer the bounce and got his body behind the line to cover the seam movement and also rode the bounce to get his 12 fours and a six.