The shortest Test match ever in cricket involved Team India

Test cricket is supposed to be a slow burn, a battle of patience stretched over 5 long days. But these days? Blink twice, and the match is over! And if you think modern Tests are fast, wait till you hear about the South Africa vs India showdown in January 2024. This wasn’t just a quick finish—it was warp speed! Only 107 overs were bowled in the entire match!

South Africa barely unpacked their bags before they were skittled for 55 in Cape Town. Mohammed Siraj the chief destroyer as he dismantled their lineup with 6 wickets for just 15 runs. Only two Proteas batters managed double-digit scores with Kyle Verreynne top-scoring with 15 runs.

India thought, Why not join the party? and kept their innings short too. The visitors were bundled out for 153, with 7 Indians not even opening their account. Nevertheless, they still managed a 98-run first innings lead. By the end of Day 1, South Africa had batted twice. They again had a batting collapse and despite Aiden Markram scoring a hundred, the hosts were all out for 176. India wrapped things up by chasing a modest 79 on the 2nd day with 7 wickets remaining, and claimed their first Test win at the venue, on their 9th tour of South Africa. And just like that, history was made—the shortest Test match ever won. Test cricket? More like a T20 with a dramatic plot twist!

A total of 642 balls were bowled in the entire match, making it the shortest ever in history. Interestingly, India surpassed their own record, which earlier stood at 842 balls against England in 2021.