NEW DELHI: Aiden Markram has emerged as one of South Africa's safest fielders, complementing his batting prowess, as he created a world record on the fifth and final day of the second Test against India in Guwahati on Wednesday.

Markram made history by becoming the fielder with the most catches in a Test match, surpassing Ajinkya Rahane's record of eight against Sri Lanka in Galle in 2015.

In the Guwahati Test, Markram took five catches in India's first innings and added four more in the second, setting a new world record for the most catches by a fielder in a Test match.

In the first innings, Markram accounted for KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, and Kuldeep Yadav, while in the second innings, his safe hands dismissed Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel, Rishabh Pant, and Washington Sundar.

Before Markram's feat, only a handful of players had managed seven catches in a Test match, including legends like Greg Chappell (AUS vs ENG, Perth 1974), Yajurvindra Singh (IND vs ENG, Bengaluru 1977), Hashan Tillakaratne (SL vs NZ, Colombo 1992), Stephen Fleming (NZ vs ZIM, Harare 1997), Matthew Hayden (AUS vs SL, Galle 2004), and KL Rahul (IND vs ENG, Trent Bridge 2018).

Markram's record-breaking performance highlights not only his sharp reflexes and safe hands but also the growing importance of athleticism and alertness in modern Test cricket.