South Africa bowled tight lines and lengths and managed to chip away by taking 3 wickets in the hour after Drinks. India have also done well to add 101 runs in the session. With Shubman Gill out retired hurt, South Africa will look to limit the damage while India will hope to get a good lead. The pitch is getting worse to bat on if we are being brutally honest.
India gets off to a steady start in the first hour of play.Â
KL Rahul and Washington Sundar came out to resume proceedings for India while Marco Jansen had ball in hand for South Africa. Rahul got a boundary away with a half forward push with soft hands as the ball went along the ground to the deep third fence. Rahul completed 4000 Test runs. Keshav Maharaj took the ball from the other end. He bowled a decent over. Jansen continued and bowled a decent over.
Maharaj kept things tight and bowled a decent over. Jansen bowled a maiden over. Maharaj also kept it tight as runs were coming in singles now. Sundar got a brace as the 50 came up for India in the 26.1 overs. Rahul broke the shackles as he threw his hands at it and got the outside edge of the bat through backward point region for a boundary.
Jansen continued as Sundar prod forward and played it with soft hands and flicked it away through midwicket and mid-on region for a boundary. Maharaj continued and bowled another tight over. Then we had a change in bowling as Corbin Bosch came into the attack. Bosch started his spell with a maiden over. Maharaj continued as Sundar got down again and looked to sweep and got it over midwicket region for a boundary.
Bosch bowled another maiden over. Maharaj continued as Sundar out of nowhere bent his left leg and picked it up and smashed it over wide long-off for the maximum. India reached 75/1 in 34 overs when the players paused for the Drinks Break.
Washington Sundar falls, Shubman Gill retires hurt, KL Rahul & Rishabh Pant falls as an entertaining hour took us to Lunch.Â
Simon Harmer came into the attack after the break and he got rid of Washington Sundar straightaway after Drinks for 29 off 82 balls with 2 fours and a maximum to his name. Harmer flighted it up full pitching on the middle stump that dipped in front of Sundar as he looked to defend. The ball spun away a bit to take the shoulder of the bat and deflected straight into the hands of first slip. Aiden Markram was down on one knee and took a fine catch to his right. The edge carried to slip.
Captain Shubman Gill came out to bat next and got off the mark with a boundary by going down on one knee and played the hard sweep over backward square leg. In the process, he hurt his neck and the physio came out as he was forced to go off the field retired hurt. Rishabh Pant the vice-captain replaced his captain in the middle. Maharaj continued and bowled a half-volley to Rahul who used his feet and launched it over the non-striker’s end for the maximum.
Harmer continued and conceded 4 byes to the batting side as the ball spun past everyone. Maharaj continued as Pant got the outside edge to Markram at first slip who put down a tough chance as the ball went away to the third man fence. Pant then took Maharaj by stepping down the track to the pitch of the ball and swung through the line over long-off for the maximum. The 100 came up for India in 37.4 overs. Harmer continued and bowled another probing over.
Maharaj continued and got the prized scalp of KL Rahul for 39 off 119 balls with 4 fours and a maximum to his name. Maharaj bowled a good length delivery pitching on the off-stump line and spinning away. Rahul was camping back in the crease and poked at it to follow the spin. He got an outside edge and it went low to the first slip fielder. Markram took a good catch and replays confirmed that it was a clean catch. Ravindra Jadeja came out to bat next.
Harmer continued as Jadeja took him on by going down on one knee and broomed it through forward square leg for a boundary. Pant survived a run out scare as he got home with a dive at the striker’s end. Maharaj continued as Pant took him on by dancing down the track and was not to the pitch of the ball and he muscled it over long-on for the maximum. Pant then connected the reverse sweep through the third man region for a boundary. Harmer bowled a decent over.
Bosch came back into the attack. Ravindra Jadeja completed 4000 Test runs and became the fourth cricketer in history to complete a double of 4000 Test runs and pick up 300 plus wickets. Bosch then removed the big fish as he removed Pant for 27 off 24 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes to his name. Bosch bowled a short ball pitching outside the off-stump and angled back into Pant at an awkward height for him for the pull shot. Pant was in a tangle going for the swipe across the line and failed to control the stroke and got hit on the gloves as the ball lobbed to the left of the keeper. Kyle took the catch easily. Dhruv Jurel came out to bat next.
Jurel got off the mark with a boundary by climbing onto the short ball as he smashed the pull all along the ground to midwicket region for a boundary. Harmer bowled the final over before Lunch Break and bowled a good last over as India went into the Lunch Break at 138/4 in 45 overs with Jadeja on 11* and Jurel on 5*. 11 extras given by the fielding side so far.
Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer, and Corbin Bosch picked up the wickets to fall in this session of play while Jansen got a wicket earlier yesterday. The match is nicely poised at this stage.
What Lies Ahead in the Afternoon Session.Â
So, India have gotten themselves to 138/4 in 45 overs after resuming at 37/1 overnight and now trail by 21 runs with 6 wickets in hand. It was a quiet first hour but an action packed one after Drinks Break. The pitch is getting difficult to bat on and it’s only going to get worse. Let’s see how things unfold. India might be ahead, but South Africa are fighting hard in this Test match.
An important and intriguing afternoon session shall come our way soon. This is a riveting Test match for sure.
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