South Africa vs India, 2nd Test, Day 2 Stats Review: Shardul Thakur rewrites record books with stunning spell

Shardul Thakur bowled magnificently on Day 2 of the second Test as he recorded the best bowling figures (7/61) by any Indian bowler against South Africa in Tests. He broke the backbone of the Proteas batting line-up as no one could get going against the 30-year old pacer. He thus recorded the best bowling figures by any Indian against the Proteas in the longest format of the game.

Captain Dean Elgar couldn’t add much to his overnight score as he fell for 28 runs. Keegan Petersen batted superbly to reach his maiden half-century in Test cricket. Temba Bavuma scored back-to-back fifty as Mohammed Shami also chipped in with two wickets to end the South African innings for 229, giving Dean Elgar’s side a lead of 27 runs. In reply, the visitors lost both the openers as stand-in skipper KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal scored eight and 23 runs respectively.

Terribly struggling for form, the duo of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane survived the day with the former looking to get back into some sort of rhythm as he remained unbeaten on 35. Mumbai batter Rahane shared 41 runs partnership with Pujara as both would love to find a form for themselves and capitalize the third day by batting sensibly to take India in a commanding and winning position. With the tourist’s lead of just 58 runs, the hosts would believe that the match is evenly balanced and will look to take early wickets to try and restrict India from a big second innings total.

Meanwhile, here are some of the important stats and numbers from South Africa vs India, 2nd Test Day 2:

1 – Keegan Petersen scored the first half-century in his sixth Test innings.

1 – With figures of 7/61, Shardul Thakur now holds the record of best bowling by an Indian against South Africa in Test matches. R Ashwin’s 7/66 against the Proteas in 2015 is now second in the list.

7/61 – Shardul Thakur recorded his best bowling figures in a Test inning. His previous best was 4/61 against Australia in 2021.

100 – Rishabh Pant completed 100 catches in Test matches.

1 – First five-wicket haul for Shardul Thakur in his sixth Test match.

4 – Shardul Thakur became the bowler with the fourth-best bowling figures in a Test innings at Johannesburg. Hugh Tayfield (9/113), Goofy Lawrence (8/53), and Mathew Hoggard (7/61) are in the top three.

44 – Mohammed Shami has now taken 44 Test wickets against the Proteas which is his most against any opposition. He has 42 scalps to his name against England.

6 – Thakur became the sixth Indian bowler to record a five-for at the Wanderers Stadium.

4 – Rishabh Pant became the fourth Indian wicketkeeper to reach 100 catches milestone in Tests. MS Dhoni (256), Syed Kirmani (160), and Kiran More (110) occupy the top three spots.

7/61 – Shardul Thakur is now the pacer with the best figures in Tests since 2020.

1 – The 30-year old fast bowler Shardul Thakur became the Indian bowler with the best bowling figures against South Africa in South Africa. Harbhajan Singh held the record previously for his spell of 7/120 in 2011.

1 – Shardul Thakur also became the Indian bowler with the best figures against South Africa at Johannesburg. He broke the record of Anil Kumble’s spell of 6/53 in 1992 at the venue.