Cape Town, one of the toughest surfaces for a visiting team, especially in Test matches, will host the Indian side for the 7th time in the longest format. In the last 20 years, only Australia (2) and England (1) have been able to breach the fortress at the Newlands and Team India will hope to join the other two in the list starting January 3 in the new year's Test. In six matches so far at the venue, India have lost four and drawn two and when Cape Town is mentioned, immediately the name of Jasprit Bumrah comes up.
Bumrah, who has become an integral part of the Indian team across formats, made his Test debut six years ago at this very venue in 2018 and ended up taking four wickets. Four years later in 2022, Bumrah returned with the side and even though India lost that match yet again, he took a five-wicket haul and Indian team and the fans will be hoping for something like that again given the situation they find themselves in.
Ahead of the second and final Test of the series, Bumrah shared a heartwarming video with the caption, "Back at Newlands, 5 years after my Test debut here. A lot of memories, a lot of gratitude." Suryakumar Yadav, his India and Mumbai Indians teammate was confident that a five-wicket haul is coming in this Test match.
Watch the video here:
India are on the verge of another series defeat in South Africa, a place which was advertised as the final frontier. However, the performance in the first Test was a glimpse of why the Indian teams over the years haven't been able to do it and Bumrah and Co. will be key if the visitors have to level the series.
Apart from Bumrah, the bowling attack looked flat in Centurion but there is no room left for such performance for the two-time finalists in Cape Town and they will hope to put out a performance that they can be proud of.
