Aiden Markram sets new world record for most catches in a Test match

GUWAHATI: Aiden Markram etched his name into the history books during the Guwahati Test, setting a new world record for the most catches in a single Test match.

South Africa’s fielders displayed exceptional skill in the victory over India, with Markram leading from the front.

On the fifth day of the match, he took his ninth catch — dismissing Washington Sundar off Simon Harmer — to surpass the previous record.

Earlier, India’s Ajinkya Rahane had set the record with eight catches during a 2017 Test in Galle, a milestone Markram has now overtaken.

In the first innings, Markram caught KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar, Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav. In the second innings, he dismissed Sudarshan, Dhruv Jurel, Rishabh Pant and Sundar once again through flawless catching.

Players with seven catches in a Test include Greg Chappell, Yuvraj Singh, Tilakaratne Dilshan, Stephen Fleming, Matthew Hayden and KL Rahul.

South Africa sealed the series 0-2 after defeating India by 408 runs.

South Africa crushed India on their home ground, completing a clean sweep with a dominant performance in the Guwahati Test.

India were bowled out for 140, suffering a massive 408-run defeat. Apart from Ravindra Jadeja — who scored 54 — no batter made a notable contribution.

Spinning all-rounder Simon Harmer starred with nine wickets across the match, as India slumped to the heaviest Test defeat in their history.

South Africa amassed 489 runs in the first innings and declared their second innings at 260/5. India managed 201 in their first innings before collapsing in their chase.

The Proteas clinched the two-match series 2-0. The World Test Champions had previously drawn a series 1-1 in Pakistan.

This victory marks India’s second home whitewash in 12 months — New Zealand had beaten them 3-0 last November.