Lot To Do With Pitch: An Ex-Indian Stars Unambiguous Opinion On 23-Wicket Day

There are obviously going to be questions when 23 wickets fall in one day in a Test match—just two short of the all-time record. There must be something more going on than just bad batting or excellent bowling. There will be additional questions if those 23 wickets are lost on the opening day of a Test. That is the situation following Wednesday's first day of the second Test between South Africa and India in Cape Town.First, the Indian cricket team was dismissed for 153, and then South Africa was all out for just 55. With 62/3, South Africa concluded the day. 23 wickets fell in total.

The greatest number of wickets lost on the first day of a test is 25, which occurred in an Ashes test in 1902. When asked why such a dramatic day transpired, former Indian cricket team player Sanjay Manjrekar gave a very basic response. "The pitch plays a big part in it. It is somewhat related to modern batting. Perhaps they shouldn't be concentrating on defenses, which makes sense given that Test cricket is currently the third format in terms of importance.