Jasprit Bumrah got two quick wickets just two balls after Virat Kohli swapped the bails. Stuart Broad played the same trick in the Ashes Test and Labuschagne got out on the next ball.
Be it in sports or real life, people, while playing an innings, would do anything to bring a bit of good luck. Sometimes, these moves work out well and emerge as an extraordinary result. In cricket, there is also no exception to this luck-bringing factor. One such exceptional thing was seen on Day 2 of the 1st Test.
During the second day of the 1st Test between India and South Africa at SuperSport Park in Centurion, Indian pacers found it difficult to break the partnership between Dean Elgar and Tony de Zorzi. Indian bowlers tried several strategies to pick at least a single wicket. During this wicketless phase, the duo secured 93 runs that made situations harder for India.
Dean Elgar and Tony de Zorzi went on punishing the Indian pacers in the post-lunch session. They did not spare a single loose delivery from the bowlers. The Indian skipper was left with no options except bringing in Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj in place of Shardul Thakur and debutant Test bowler Prasidh Krishna.
The double change seemed to go in vain as Elgar and Tony de Zorzi were playing with a positive intent against them as well. Despite that bowling change, they kept on hitting boundaries. Siraj was punished for a boundary by Elgar on the last delivery of the 28th over.
Virat Kohli’s magic works for Team India
It was the very moment when Virat Kohli approached the stumps and flipped the bails at the non-striker’s end. Just two balls later, Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Tony de Zorzi in the 29th over. It was a length bowl from Bumrah that took an outside edge and carried at a catchable height to Yashasvi Jaiswal at the third slip. The highest-run partnership of the day came to an end following Virat’s magical move.
The sudden pressure created by Bumrah got another wicket for India. In quick succession, Jasprit Bumrah struck as he sent Keegan Petersen just for 2 runs to the dugout. The new batter tried to punch a back-of-a-length bowl outside off resulting in a thick edge hitting the stumps. After Virat Kohli’s bail-altering trick, it took only nine deliveries to reduce South Africa from 104/1 to 113/3. The clip of Virat Kohli swapping bails went viral on social media in a moment as fans loved it.
Fans compared the incident with that of Stuart Broad during the Ashes Test in July 2023. In his last Test match, Stuart Broad made a peculiar move on the field altering the bails. Like magic, Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne gave a thick edge concluding in a stunning catch by Joe Root at slip. This superstitious moment emerged as the turning point of the game as Australia stepped down to 185 for seven from a comfortable position of 91 for one.
Bad light stops play
During the ongoing 1st Test in Centurion, bad light forced early stumps on the second day. At the end of the day, South Africa finds themselves in a balanced position with a lead of 11 runs for 5 wickets. Dean Elgar, the showstopper, is still unbeaten on 140. On the other hand, Macro Janse is not out for 3 runs.
