By Ross Roche.
Proteas ended the day on top after they reached the close of play on 35/1 in their first innings, trailing India’s first innings by 167-runs on day one of the second test at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Monday afternoon.
Young allrounder Marco Jansen starred for the hosts after India won the toss and elected to bat, producing top figures of 4/31 off 17 overs as he helped bowl the visitors out for 202 during the day’s final session.
Kagiso Rabada and Duanne Olivier, who made his first appearance for the Proteas since 2019, were also in form backing Jansen up with identical figures of 3/64, with Rabada having bowled just one ball more.
The Proteas batsmen then faced a testing hour and a half period before the close of play and managed to survive relatively unscathed with Aiden Markram (7) the only wicket to fall for the hosts, after he was trapped dead in front LBW by Mohammed Shami with the score 14/1 in the fourth over.
Opener Dean Elgar then remained resolute as he faced 57 balls in scoring 11, while Keegan Petersen was lucky to be dropped by keeper Rishabh Pant off the bowling of Jasprit Bumrah, as he ended the day unbeaten on 14 off 35 balls.
Elgar and Petersen will resume the Proteas innings on day two and they will look to build a big stand to put their side in a strong position.
After the tea break, India resumed their first innings on 146/5 with Ravichandran Ashwin (46) and Pant (17) at the crease and they extended their sixth-wicket stand to 40-runs before a quick double strike saw them slip to 157/7.
First Pant inside-edged a good ball from Jansen that tailed in to keeper Kyle Verreynne and new man Shardul Takur then survived just five balls before guiding Olivier to Petersen at gully.
The flurry of wickets didn’t bother Ashwin as he continued to play his shots as he dominated a 28-run stand with Shami (9), before Shami was superbly caught and bowled by Rabada who took a great catch in his follow-through, with the score 185/8.
Ashwin then died by the sword as he was first dropped by Temba Bavuma trying to hit the ball inside out over the infield with Bavuma making a top effort at full dive but could not hold on, only to uppercut Jansen’s very next ball straight up in the air with Petersen taking an easy catch at point to reduce them to 187/9.
Bumrah then played a little unbeaten cameo hitting 14 off 11 balls, as he slammed two fours and a six off Rabada, before Rabada ended the innings by having Mohammed Siraj (1) caught down the leg side by Verreynne just after getting over the 200 run mark.
Earlier in the day stand-in captain KL Rahul (50) brought up his half-century during the day’s second session but lost his wicket before tea to leave the Proteas in control of the match.
Ashwin then counter-attacked during the last five overs before tea as he shared in an unbroken 30-run sixth-wicket stand with Pant to take them safely to the break.
India started after lunch on 53/3 with Rahul and Hanuma Vihari (20) at the crease, with them adding eight runs to the score before Vihari cut a short and wide ball from Lungi Ngidi straight to Bavuma at point, only for him to drop the simple chance and let him off on nine.
Rahul and Vihari then looked to just be building a decent stand when Rabada stepped in to end it on 42-runs as Vihari inside-edged a ball to short leg where Rassie van der Dussen stuck out his hand and took a fantastic catch with India on 91/4.
Rahul and Pant then added 25-runs to the score, taking India past the hundred run mark and Rahul bringing up his 50 along the way, before Jansen snagged the big wicket as Rahul top-edged a pull to fine leg where Rabada took a good catch to remove the danger man.
In the morning session, a Duanne Olivier double just before lunch pegged India back as they reached the break on 53/3.
India had gotten off to a steady start with a 36-run opening partnership, however, Jansen then made the breakthrough, before Olivier picked up two wickets in successive balls to make it a successful first session for the Proteas.
Rahul and Mayank Agarwal (26) then got the innings off to a solid start, as they comfortably moved to 32 after 8.1 overs, hitting the loose balls from Olivier and Rabada to the boundary.
First change bowlers Ngidi and Jansen then stemmed the flow of runs, bogging down the openers as they only managed to score four runs off the next six overs.
Jansen then made the vital breakthrough straight after the drinks break as a full ball outside off tempted Agarwal to drive at it, only to edge it to keeper Verreynne who took a comfortable catch at head height to make it 36/1 at the start of the 15th over.
The loss of Agarwal then saw India go into their shell as Rahul and new man Cheteshwar Pujara (3) added 13-runs over the next 9.1 overs.
With a few overs to go to lunch Olivier then struck, catching the shoulder of Pujara’s bat with a ball that zipped off the surface and ballooned to Bavuma at point.
The very next ball Olivier bowled a shortish delivery outside off which Ajinkya Rahane tentatively pushed at, getting an outside edge straight to Keegan Petersen at gully with India in a spot of bother on 49/3.
South Africa Playing XI: Dean Elgar(c), Aiden Markram, Keegan Petersen, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Kyle Verreynne(w), Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Duanne Olivier, Lungi Ngidi
India Playing XI: KL Rahul(c), Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.