By Neil Manthorp.
Dean Elgar scored a magnificent, unbeaten 115 to lead South Africa to 194-3 at tea on the second day of the first test against India at Supersport Park in Centurion on Wednesday. The home side trail India’s first innings of 245 by just 51 runs.
The 36-year-old former captain played an uncharacteristically aggressive innings reaching his 14th test century with his 19th boundary from just 140 balls in the final over before tea to put South Africa in a powerful position in his penultimate test match.
Elgar dominated a rollicking stand of 93 for the second wicket with Tony de Zorzi who was happy to play a supporting role with a patient 28 from 62 balls with five fours until Jasprit Bumrah (11-1-35-2) found a thick outside edge which flew to Yashasvi Jaiswal at third slip.
Elgar, meanwhile, adopted a pragmatic approach on a pitch continuing to offer generous assistance to the fast bowlers and attacked whenever given the chance interspersing his trademark nudges and steers with some rasping drives.
Scoring well above his career strike-rate in the knowledge that a wicket-taking delivery could arrive at any time, Elgar thrilled his home crowd with some scintillating stroke-play to compliment his trademark grittiness and resilience facing 168 balls and striking 21 fours.
David Bedingham’s debut test career was off to a flying start with an unbeaten 32 from just 47 deliveries which included two fours and an early, pulled six against Prasidh Krishna followed by a second maximum shortly before tea against the medium pace of Shardul Thakur, also pulled over square leg.
Keegan Petersen (2) became Bumrah’s second victim in attempting to punch a delivery through the covers off the back foot but succeeding only in dragging the ball back onto his stumps.
Aiden Markram (5) fell to fine away-swinger from Mohammad Siraj before lunch which flew from the outside edge into the gloves of KL Rahul before lunch which South Africa took on 49-1.
KL Rahul earlier completed a magnificent century before lunch advancing from his overnight 70 not out to 101 and taking India from their overnight 208-8 to a total of 245 all out.
Rahul’s runs came from just 137 balls and contained 14 fours and four sixes as he progressed from the pragmatism of the first day to controlled attack in the company of the last few batsmen on the second morning.
Siraj (5) survived for 22 balls which allowed Rahul to manipulate the strike and collect precious boundaries before he edged Gerald Coetzee to ‘keeper Kyle Verreynne in the company of last man Prasidh Krishna.
Rahul moved to his eighth career century with a stunning six over long-on against Coetzee to complete the ‘full-set’ having already struck Rabada, Nandre Burger and Marco Jansen for maximums.
Burger eventually brought the innings to a close bowling Rahul for 101 to finish with 3-50 from 15.4 overs while Coetzee was the most expensive of the pace quartet with 1-74 from 16 overs.
Rabada did not add to his overnight five-wickets in the three overs he bowled and finished with 5-59 from 20 overs.
It was Rahul’s eighth test century and certainly one of his best batting at No 6 for the first time and accepting the responsibility of batting with the tailenders like a man who has done the job throughout his career.
South Africa: Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma (captain), Keegan Petersen, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wkt), Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burger
India:Rohit Sharma (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wkt), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.