Aiden Markram of South Africa has made history at Guwahati by creating a new world record for most catches in a Test match taken by a non-wicketkeeper. His excellent performance in the slips has played a critical role in South Africa’s dominating series-clinching win over India.
Markram Sets a New Benchmark in Test Cricket
Markram claimed nine catches in the match, better than the earlier record of eight, shared by Ajinkya Rahane (2015, Galle), AB de Villiers (2017, Gqeberha), and a few others in decades gone by. His outstanding effort set a new worldwide standard for fielders in Test cricket.
Five Catches in the First Innings: Markram Equals Single-Innings Record
Markram finished the innings with five catches, equalling the record for the most taken by a fielder in a single Test innings. Standing at slip, he first took a sharp low catch off Keshav Maharaj to remove KL Rahul.
He then combined brilliantly with Marco Jansen to dismiss Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy, before picking up straightforward chances off Simon Harmer and Jansen to remove Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav. With this, he joined an elite group of only 16 fielders who have taken five catches in a single innings.
Another Four Catches in the Second Innings
Chasing a mammoth 549, India crumbled to 140 all out. Markram once again made his presence felt. At 42-4, he took a routine slip catch off Harmer, then played a part in dismissing Rishabh Pant and Sai Sudharsan.
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He concluded his count with a razor-sharp chance off Harmer to dismiss Washington Sundar, thereby taking his match tally to nine-the new world record for Most catches in a Test match by a fielder.
South Africa Seal Historic Series Win in India
South Africa wrapped up the second Test by 408 runs to complete a clean sweep, having won the first Test in Kolkata by 30 runs.
This victory is South Africa’s first Test series win in India in 25 years, and Markram’s fielding masterclass has been one of the defining storylines of the tour.
| Player | Catches | Team | Opposition | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aiden Markram | 9 | South Africa | India | Guwahati | 2025 |
| Ajinkya Rahane | 8 | India | Sri Lanka | Galle | 2015 |
| AB de Villiers | 8 | South Africa | Zimbabwe | Gqeberha | 2017 |
| Greg Chappell | 7 | Australia | England | WACA | 1974 |
| Yajurvindra Singh | 7 | India | England | Bengaluru | 1977 |
| Hashan Tillakaratne | 7 | Sri Lanka | New Zealand | Colombo | 1992 |
| Stephen Fleming | 7 | New Zealand | Zimbabwe | Harare | 1997 |
| Matthew Hayden | 7 | Australia | Sri Lanka | Galle | 2004 |
| KL Rahul | 7 | India | England | Nottingham | 2018 |
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