Centurion, Dec 28 (UNI): Mohammed Shami took a five-wicket haul to help India lead by 146 runs against South Africa at stumps on Day 3 of the first Test here at SuperSport Park on Tuesday.
After bundling out the hosts South Africa for 197, India added 16 runs but lost Mayank Agarwal in the visitor’s second innings. Marco Jansen got the wicket as the opener was caught behind for 4.
KL Rahul and night-watchman Shardul Thakur saw off the final session. While Rahul was on 5 not out, Shardul remained unbeaten on 4 at the end of day’s play.
Earlier, South Africa started their first innings with a hiccup as the hosts lost their captain Dean Elgar cheaply for one. It was Jasprit Bumrah who got the early breakthrough for India. The fast bowler, however, couldn’t complete his over as he suffered a right ankle sprain in his follow-through in the 11th over.
The over, in which one ball was left, was completed by Mohammed Siraj. In Bumrah’s absence, Shreyas Iyer came in as substitute fielder.
Siraj joined the party and claimed his first Test wicket in South Africa. Rassie van der Dussen got an outside edge and gave a catch to Ajinkya Rahane at gully region off Siraj. The fast bowler could have had his second wicket on the next ball but KL Rahul dropped Quinton de Kock, who was on zero, at third slip.
De Kock and Temba Bavuma slowly reset and rebuild South Africa’s innings with regular boundaries and leaving the bad balls as much as possible. The duo added 72 runs for the fifth wicket before Shardul Thakur removed de Kock for 34. The wicket-keeper batter got an inside edge that crashed into his stumps, forcing him to walk back in frustration.
After more than an hour in the second session, Bumrah returned to the field but Shardul and Siraj kept things tight going into tea, with Bavuma unbeaten on 31 and Wiaan Mulder on 4 not out at tea.
After resumption, Bavuma kept ticking the scoreboard and brought up his half-century. Soon, Shami returned and got rid of the threatening South African who was caught behind for 52. The catch taken by wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant made him the quickest Indian gloveman to complete 100 dismissals in Test cricket.
The lower-order of South Africa chipped in with some crucial runs and continued to frustrate visiting Indian team. Kagiso Rabada played a knock of 25 runs before becoming Shami’s 200th Test wicket. South Africa eventually folded, with Bumrah dismissing Keshav Maharaj (12).
At the start of Day 3, Lungi Ngidi took a 6-wicket haul as South Africa bundled out India for 327 in the first innings.
India, who were 272/3 on the opening day, added 55 runs in the first session after rain washed away Day 2 without a ball being bowled. The first hour of the play saw the fall of 6 Indian wickets, including the centurion KL Rahul.
The flurry of wickets started with India vice-captain Rahul, who was caught down the leg side off Kagiso Rabada for 123. Soon, Ajinkya Rahane, another set batter, edged to the wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock when he was just two shy of a half-century.
The South African fight back brought two new batters – Rishabh Pant and Ravichandran Ashwin – in the middle. However, their stay at the crease short-lived as Ngidi and Rabada got rid of them. Pant’s dismissal marked Ngidi’s five-wicket haul.
Soon, Ngidi claimed his sixth wicket as Mohammed Shami was caught behind. Jasprit Bumrah added 14 runs towards the end before becoming debutant Marco Jansen’s maiden Test wicket. And India folded in just one and a half hour in the first session of the play.
