Stats: Most catches by wicket-keepers in a 3-match Test series

The 3-match Test series between India and South Africa has seen some exciting Cricket transpire, fuelled by debates and heated press conferences. India have already lost the series 2-0 and yet, they’ll be fighting hard to salvage some of their pride in the third and the final Test. The ongoing third Test has been a whirlwind of scintillating cricketing action. It was the wicket-keepers who had a field day in the first two days, creating new records along the way.

Having won the toss, Indian skipper, Virat Kohli chose to bat first; a decision that raised quite some eyebrows, considering the tricky pitch that was on offer. India’s batting was not as impressionable as they’d have wanted it to be, as they were dismissed for a meagre total of 187 runs in the first innings. Apart from the gritty half-century from Cheteshwar Pujara which came off a whopping 179 balls and a luck-aided 54 runs from Virat Kohli, the rest of the Indian batting looked frail in front of the feisty Protean bowling.

A new record in Test cricket history

Protean wicket-keeper, Quinton de Kock put on an exemplary show in the first innings as he trapped five wickets in his gloves behind the wicket. The movement the red cherry gathered from the pitch enabled the keeper to convert some sharp edges into wickets. The Protean innings wasn’t much of an aberration as Indian keeper, Parthiv Patel had 4 catches to his name. This took the combined tally of catches taken by the wicket-keepers in the ongoing 3-match Test series to 34, making it a new record.

Till now, the 2016-17 Sri Lanka Tour to South Africa had held the record of the most number of dismissals by wicket-keepers with the number being 33. This was broken as 34 dismissals were recorded at the end of the Protean second innings in the ongoing Johannesburg Test match.

The first Test at Cape Town saw 16 wickets being shared between the Indian wicket-keeper, Wriddhiman Saha and de Kock. Subsequently, the second Test at the Centurion had 9 wickets to the wicket-keepers’ credit. Such a huge tally of wickets credited to behind the stumps not only has created a new record but also speaks volumes about the lively pitches that South Africa has had on offer from the very beginning of the tour.