After the second day was washed out due to rain, it seemed like India would put up a big score on Day 3 of the 1st Test against the Proteas, but Lungisani Ngidi had other ideas. He peppered the Indian batters with well-directed short deliveries and was accompanied brilliantly by Kagiso Rabada.
Once they got the first breakthrough of KL Rahul, who added just one run to his overnight tally. Rabada’s short delivery did the trick, as Rahul attempted a pull and was caught behind. India’s downfall began from there, as they ended up losing seven wickets for just 49 runs.
Ajinkya Rahane fell just short of his fifty, with Lungi Ngidi finding the edge. Rishabh Pant tried to hang around, but his stay lasted just 13 deliveries whilst Ravi Ashwin, Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Shami stayed under 10 deliveries.
A little bit of resistance towards the end from Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj helped them add 19 runs for the final wicket before Bumrah was caught at slips brilliantly by Wiaan Mulder. India were bowled out for 327 runs, with Ngidi returning with figures of 6/71 and Rabada picking up three himself.
The South Africans started their batting with a little bit of confidence, but it took five deliveries for Bumrah to break it. Throughout the day, the bowlers were generating great pace and bounce off the track, and it only got difficult for batters against the new ball.
Bumrah’s near-perfect first over got him the wicket of skipper Dean Elgar, who was caught in his crease and failed to cope with the bounce and movement of his good length delivery. Pant completed a fantastic catch before Aiden Markram and Keegan Petersen confidently saw through the first session.
Petersen was looking solid in the middle, having struck three boundaries in his 22-ball stay. But he was the first to walk back after the second session started. Mohammed Shami got the first of his five wickets here, dismantling Petersen’s defence with a great inswinger. He set up Markram brilliantly before castling his stumps as well.
Mohammed Siraj then joined the act to dismiss Rassie van der Dussen, but a costly drop catch off the very next ball from Rahul gave Quinton de Kock the lifeline to settle the innings a little after the hosts were restricted to 32/4. Alongside Temba Bavuma, de Kock batted patiently for the first few overs before starting to take their chances.
Ashwin got some boundaries off Thakur and Ashwin, and the duo quickly added 72 runs for the fifth wicket. The wicket came completely against the run of play, when De Kock chopped it on to the stumps off a normal outside off delivery from Shardul Thakur. Bavuma completed a fantastic fifty as he had to battle plenty of awkward bounce throughout the innings but unfortunately, he couldn’t make it big.
He played a nothing shot off Shami, and edged it straight to slips. It seemed like India could finish the day with a sensational lead, but Kagiso Rabada delivered some good-looking shots, including a straight drive over Ashwin’s head for a six, that easily was the best of the lot.
Shami got rid of Rabada just when the game was slipping further away, and with that, he completed his five-fer, and also his 200th wicket in Test cricket. Pant completed 100 dismissals in Test cricket with that wicket, making him the fastest to reach that landmark among Indians.
SA were bowled out for 197 runs and gave the visiting side a 130-run lead. Besides Shami’s 5/44, Thakur and Bumrah got two wickets each.
Mayank Agarwal was dismissed towards the end of the day’s play by Marco Jansen, leaving India at 16/1 in six overs at stumps. They are currently ahead by 146 runs and will be desperate to put up a target in excess of 275 on Day 4.
Brief Scores
India 1st innings: 327 all out in 105.3 overs (KL Rahul 123, Agarwal 60; Ngidi 6/71)
South Africa 1st innings: 197 all out in 62.3 overs (Bavuma 52, de Kock 34; Shami 5/44)
India 2nd innings: 16/1 in 6 overs
India lead by 146 runs
