“What did I miss?” - Sachin Tendulkar reacts wittily as 23 wickets fall on Day 1 of IND vs SA Cape Town Test

Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar was left stunned by 23 wickets falling on the opening day of the second Test between India and South Africa at Newlands in Cape Town on Wednesday, January 3. He described the bowling domination on Day 1 of the Test match as "unreal".

South Africa won the toss and decided to bat first in the Cape Town Test. The move, however, backfired as the Proteas were rolled over for 55 in 23.2 overs, their lowest score in Tests since 1932. India were bowled out for 153 in 34.5 overs in response. South Africa went to stumps at 62/3 after 17 overs in their second innings.

Reacting to the shocking batting collapses on Day 1 of the Cape Town Test, Tendulkar took to his official X handle and shared a witty post, which read:

“Cricket in ‘24 begins with 23 wickets falling in a single day. Unreal! Boarded a flight when South Africa was all out, and now that I'm home, the TV shows South Africa has lost 3 wickets. What did I miss?”

Pacer Mohammed Siraj was the standout performer for India with the ball, registering career-best Test figures of 6/15 in nine overs. For South Africa, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Nandre Burger all claimed three wickets each in India’s first innings.

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"I realized what I missed in the last game” - Siraj reflects on Day 1 Cape Town heroics

Siraj did not have a good Test match in Centurion, which India lost by an innings and 32 runs. He registered figures of 2/91 as South Africa posted 408 in their first innings. The pacer admitted that he wasn’t at his best in the first Test and added that he wanted to make amends for the same.

"I realized what I missed in the last game and wanted to compensate and I executed my plans accordingly. I wanted to hit one area consistently and I did that and got reward for it. Wicket looks quite similar to Centurion," Siraj said at the end of the opening day's play in Cape Town.

Asked what he did differently on Day 1 at Newlands, the 29-year-old elaborated:

"We (him and Jasprit Bumrah) bowled in partnerships and bowled many maidens unlike last Test match. Bowling so many maidens did create pressure. [On such wickets], if you hit [the right] areas, wickets will come automatically, if you try many things, you yourself can get confused.”

While Siraj claimed a six-fer in South Africa’s first innings, Bumrah and Mukesh Kumar chipped in with two scalps each.