South Africa Surges to No.2 as WTC Table Jolts After India Defeat

If anyone thought the first Test would follow a predictable script, they were wrong. One look at the WTC points table update and you realise how quickly things can flip in this format. The current World Test Championship standings tell a story that India did not want to see.

South Africa’s gritty 30-run win over India felt like a throwback scrap. Short bursts of drama. Long passages of tension. And a crowd that couldn’t decide whether to gasp or cheer as wickets kept tumbling. Few saw this coming.

The visitors now sit second in the standings with a strong 66.67% success rate, powered by two wins from three matches. India, after this slip, dropped to fourth. The margin was small, but the impact was huge.

Simon Harmer set the tone. His 4 for 21 squeezed India’s chase. When he sent Rishabh Pant back to the pavilion, you could hear a ripple of disbelief around Eden Gardens. The situation shifted dramatically.

Temba Bavuma’s calm fifty earlier was the glue. Nothing flashy, just stubborn and calculated batting. You could see the determination written all over his face. His unbeaten 55, alongside Corbin Bosch’s handy 25, stretched South Africa’s lead just enough to make India nervous.

India’s reply never settled. Injuries didn’t help either. Shubman Gill couldn’t bat in the second innings, and the top order looked rattled. Marco Jansen sensed it and struck twice in his first seven balls. In just one over, they got two breakthroughs. And suddenly India was wobbling.

The innings never really recovered. Axar Patel tried to fight back; he hit two clean sixes, but the spark faded quickly. Aiden Markram’s dismissal of Washington Sundar felt like the final crack in India’s hopes.

With the India vs South Africa Test now heading to Guwahati from November 22, the series feels strangely alive. And if the first match taught us anything, it’s this: expect chaos. Because the WTC points table update already looks nothing like it did a week ago.