WTC Championship: India defeated South Africa in the second Test, to tie their series 1-1 and also climbed to the top of the WTC points table.

India defeated South Africa by seven wickets, on Day 2 of the second Test match, at the Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town on Thursday. The win saw India tie the series 1-1, as both teams ended up sharing the trophy.

Chasing 79 for victory, Yashasvi Jaiswal came out all guns blazing, and registered a knock of 28 off 23 balls. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma smacked an unbeaten knock of 17* off 22 deliveries. Jaiswal attacked almost every single delivery, and hammered six boundaries. The visitors lost three wickets, reaching 80/3, winning by seven wickets.

The win helped India reclaim top spot in the World Test Championship 2023-25 points table. It was also India’s second win in the ongoing WTC cycle, overtaking South Africa, who are second. The defeat in the first Test sent India to sixth spot, but the win on Thursday drove them to pole position once.

Speaking after India’s win, Jasprit Bumrah, who was named as Player of the Series, said, “This ground will always hold a special place in my heart.

It was always a dream to play Test cricket and the journey started here, there’s always fond memories of my first game. Very happy that it went well today as well. That journey started in 2018 – our bowling unit was experienced and we wanted to create an impact.

We knew that if we want to do well in foreign conditions, we’ll have to bowl a lot more and consistently. In India, the spinners do a lot more work. The vision started from there. Our team is also going through a transition.”

“Lot of the bowlers have been changed, but the message is still the same, you have to keep fighting. It’s not easy playing in South Africa, different conditions, the crowd is also something.

We fought it out in the last game as well. It’s difficult to keep coming at it because it requires a lot of strength and patience. If you lose it, in one session, the game goes out of your hand. We are very happy that we were able to do it in this game.

I didn’t expect the game to go this fast, I have never played a shorter Test match in my life. Looking at the wicket on the first day, nobody really thought that this much was going to happen.

We wanted to bat first as well. Test cricket gives you surprises. Very happy that we got our first win (in Cape Town), a great series and a fighting series,” he added.

Other Teams Position

Similarly, New Zealand, Australia, and Bangladesh also possess a 50% points tally. On the other hand, Pakistan, West Indies, England, and Sri Lanka find themselves at the bottom of the standings.

The third Test of the Australia vs Pakistan series is currently taking place in Sydney. If Australia emerges victorious in this match, the defending champions will ascend to the number one position in the WTC standings. Their points percentage will rise from 50 to an impressive 56.25.

Australia has already triumphed in the first two Tests against Pakistan, establishing themselves as the clear favorites for the New Year’s Test match in Sydney.

However, at the end of the second day’s play, Australia finds themselves trailing by 197 runs in the first innings, with eight wickets still in hand.

Should the third Test between Australia and Pakistan conclude in a draw, the Aussies will slip down to the fifth position, with their points percentage dropping to 47.92.

On the other hand, Pakistan will remain in sixth place if they lose or draw, but a victory could propel them to the coveted number one spot in the ICC World Test Championship points table.

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