India were put in to field after losing the toss on a sunny morning in Cape Town. After a disappointing outing with both bat and ball in Centurion, India were on the money with their planning and execution as Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah landed the ball in the right areas to provide early breakthroughs.

Siraj was at his best, running through the South Africa batting order, just like he had done against Sri Lanka in the 2023 Asia Cup final. Bowling unchanged from one end, Siraj sent down nine overs for 15 runs and six wickets as the hosts were bowled out for 55, the lowest total any team has been bowled out for against India in Tests.

Mohammed Siraj was on fire with the ball at Newlands this morning 🔥

His career-best Test bowling figures inside just nine overs.#SAvIND pic.twitter.com/OuHTyn4xRa

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) January 3, 2024

 

Despite taking his fifth wicket of the morning in just his eighth over, Siraj’s spell is not the quickest (in terms of balls bowled) a bowler has taken five wickets in Test match history. The quickest five-for in men’s Test cricket (by the side bowling first), belongs to Australia’s Ernie Toshack. In the Gabba Test of the 1947/48 tour of Australia, India came up against the left-arm medium pace of Toshack who registered figures of 2.3-1-2-5, taking five wickets in the space of 19 balls.

The quickest six-for in Test cricket belongs to another Australian seamer, Scott Boland. In the second innings of his debut Test at the MCG in 2021, Boland ripped through the England batting line up, picking six wickets in 21 balls and finishing with figures of 4-1-7-6.

Here is where Siraj’s spell stands in the list of quickest men’s Test five-fors and six-fors among India players.

Quickest five-for by Indians in Test cricket

Harbhajan Singh – 27 balls, vs West Indies, 2006

Harbhajan took 5-13 off 4.3 overs in the fourth Test of the series in Jamaica. He came on to bowl in the 26th over and removed Darren Ganga, Dwayne Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Denesh Ramdin, and Pedro Collins in his four and a half over spell to bowl West Indies out for 103.

Hardik Pandya – 30 balls, vs England, 2018

Pandya’s first Test five-for came in Nottingham in India’s 2018 tour of England. The hallmark of Pandya’s spell was the away swing he got going, getting the right-handers to edge through to the slips and the left-handers caught plumb in front. He finished with figures of 6-1-28-5.

Maninder Singh – 33 balls, vs Pakistan, 1986/87

Maninder Singh took 7-27 in a marathon spell on a Bangalore rank turner between India and Pakistan in 1987. The first five of those seven wickets came in his first 33 balls as it allowed India to bowl the visitors out for 103.

Jasprit Bumrah – 35 balls, vs West Indies, 2019

At Kingston, Bumrah ran through the West Indies to claim 6-27, but more of that below. The first five wickets came in 35 balls, and included a hat-trick. India won the Test match by 257 runs.

Roger Binny – 43 balls, vs England, 1986

Binny took five wickets in 43 balls and finished with 5-40 as India routed England for 102 en route to a 279-run win. It sealed a series win for them.

Jasprit Bumrah – 44 balls, vs West Indies, 2019

A week before the Kingston carnage, Bumrah had taken a five-wicket haul in only 44 balls. That day, he finished with 5-7 from eight overs.

Mohammed Siraj – 47 balls, vs South Africa, 2023/24

Siraj’s burst stands fourth on the list of quickest Indian five-fors in Test cricket. He opened the bowling and got rid of Aiden Markram in his second over, before forcing Dean Elgar to chop on in his next. A procession followed as Siraj had his fifth in his eighth over and sixth in his ninth to finish with figures of 9-3-15-6.

Quickest six-for by Indians in Test cricket

Jasprit Bumrah – 38 balls, vs West Indies, 2019

Bumrah rattled the West Indies with his pace and swing, taking 6-27 off 12.1 overs which included his maiden Test hat-trick. Bumrah’s six wickets came off his first 37 balls, making it the quickest six-for by an Indian and the third-quickest overall.

Mohammed Siraj – 53 balls, vs South Africa, 2023/24

Siraj’s sixth wicket came off his 53rd ball, making it the second fastest six-for in Test cricket by an Indian.