South Africa’s victory against India marked their first win in the Test format against India on Indian soil in 15 years. This puts SA 1-0 in the two-match series.
The visiting team set a target of 124 runs after posting 153 runs in their second innings. South Africa’s captain completed his half-century, which helped the visiting side immensely.
While speaking in a post-match interview, SA spinner Keshav Maharaj shared his joy at winning the series. He shared, “A little bit of nerves. I just wanted to be clear with my plans. A brilliant catch by Temba, and we got back. (On harmer) He showed his class; he showed why he has 1000 FC wickets. Take nothing away from Marco Jansen as well. Really great desire to get off the line, and we did it. [1-1 in Pakistan] We took a lot of confidence from that series.”
He further continued, “In India, it is different; these guys have different skillsets. To tick the box on this tour was phenomenal. There was a ball very much so with you name on it. Simon showed the consistency more than me. Also, the faith Temba showed in us, a lot of credit to him. We have not ticked this [India] assignment. We want to go forward, and we can be really thrilled with what we have achieved.”
Stand-In Indian Captain Rishabh Pant Shares His Thoughts
Following Shubman Gill’s injury, Rishabh Pant stepped in to lead the Indian side. However, India lost to South Africa for the first time on Indian soil in 15 years. In a post-match interview, stand-in captain Pant shared what went wrong on the pitch. He shared, “After a game like this, you can’t dwell into it too much. We should have been able to chase it. The pressure kept on building. We didn’t capitalise enough. Temba and Bosch had a good stand in the morning.”
He also explained how the partnership between Bosch and Temba affected the Indian team’s momentum.