Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar was as surprised as the rest of the cricket fraternity as South Africa did not even last a session with the bat on Day 1 of the New Year’s Test against India in Cape Town on Wednesday, January 3. South Africa were bundled out for 55, the lowest Test total against India as India pacers, led by Mohammad Siraj, ran riot on the Newlands pitch that was not even as venomous as some of the pacey South African pitches in the past.

Mohammed Siraj registered his best-ever Test figures as he picked up 6 wickets in a sensational elongated spell of 9 overs. Siraj bowled 3 maidens and gave away just 15 runs as he wrecked the top order, picking up the crucial wickets of captain Dean Elgar and Aiden Markram. Siraj wanted the ball in his hand throughout the first hour as he also got the wicket of Marco Jansen by following a wonderfully orchestrated plan by former captain Virat Kohli, who was giving the fast bowler inputs from the slip cordon.

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It was one of the most sensational spells of fast bowling by an Indian in a Test in South Africa. Siraj became only the 8th Indian pacer to pick up a 5-wicket haul in a Test in the Rainbow Nation.

Jasprit Bumrah and Mukesh Kumar, who replaced Shardul Thakur in the XI, also picked up 2 wickets each as South Africa were bundled out in just 23.2 overs.

Speaking to Star Sports, Sanjay Manjrekar had predicted that India would pick 4 wickets in the first session after Dean Elgar, in his farewell Test, won the toss and opted to bat. Co-commentator Piyush Chawla predicted 3 wickets while the host of the show expressed surprise at the predictions as the weather in Cape Town looked perfect for batting.

As it turned out, all their predictions went wrong and Sanjay Manjrekar had a cheeky joke to share.

“We should be sacked for our poor prediction. I said 4, he said 3,” Manjrekar said after South Africa were bowled out for 55.

“Mohammed Siraj was not trying to swing the ball. Just watch all the deliveries, the balls that got him wickets. No one is floating the ball up and trying to get swing. This is the South African way of getting wickets in South Africa.

“There is something about an action that is repeatable. Siraj is a type of bowler, if he has 3 wickets in 5 overs, you don’t want to give him a break. He would want to go on and on. He is somebody who would bowl 12 overs in a session,” Manjrekar added.

SIRAJ OUTBOWLED BUMRAH: MANJREKAR

The former India captain went on to stay that Mohammed Siraj outbowled Jasprit Bumrah by sticking to wicket-taking lengths on Day 1 of the 2nd Test. Manjrekar highlighted why Siraj is a captain’s dream, praising the energy with which he has been operating in Test cricket in the recent past.

Siraj has already taken 47 wickets in Tests in SENA countries, proving to be one of the key members of the Indian pace attack.

“He far outbowled Bumrah today. That repeatable action and line and length is his strength. That comes from putting in hours of this kind of bowling. These are the bowlers ho can replicate this, the values of playing first-class cricket, having an action that is economical. We saw it in the Asia Cup final.

“When you saw him bowling in that fashion, looking energetic and pumped up. But, if you see him after no wickets in 20 overs, the body language will be the same and that is a good thing to like about. He is not dependent on performances, those are the bowlers that a captain is blessed to have in the side,” Manjrekar added.

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