Proteas are rewarded for picking four fast bowlers

South Africa beat No 1 Test side India by 72 runs in their first Test, bowling them out for just 135 on the fourth day at Newlands.

India’s defeat on a seam-friendly surface in Cape Town underlined the doubts over the topranked side’s ability to win on green strips away from home, although neither sides’ batsmen really profited on the testing track.

South Africa seamer Vernon Philander sealed a low-scoring game with his 6-42 in the second innings, hastening India’s demise with three wickets in four balls to end the game.

India were chasing a target of 208 to win, but came unstuck against South Africa’s quick bowlers on the kind of fast, bouncy pitch the Indians would have been expecting to be tested on in South Africa. India made 209 in the first innings, while South Africa scored 286 and 130.

“We need to show more character with the bat,” India captain Virat Kohli said.

Philander’s career-best figures in India’s second innings were backed up by two wickets each from fellow quicks Morne Morkel and Kagiso Rabada. South Africa were also a bowler down, with Dale Steyn ruled out for the rest of his comeback series by a left foot injury he sustained on day two at Newlands.

India are ranked No 1 in Tests by a wide margin after nine straight series wins, but only one of those series victories came outside Asia. Six were in India.

Kohli’s departure in Cape Town – one of Philander’s six wickets – began a slide of four quick wickets before tea as India crashed to 82-7. Ravichandran Ashwin made 37 to hold up the South Africans. But his dismissal, also to Philander, set off another collapse and India went from 131-7 to 135 all out.

Philander took two wickets off the last two balls of the game to end it as South Africa’s decision to pick four fast bowlers and sacrifice a batsman on a tough batting strip ultimately paid off, although it was a close call after South Africa were shot out for just 130 at the start of the day.