Elgar, Jansen bolster South Africa's position in 1st Test against India (Day 3, Lunch)
Dec 28, 2023
Centurion [South Africa], December 28 : Dean Elgar's blitzkrieg 185 combined with Marco Jansen's 72* helped South Africa gain a lead of 147 runs against India on Day 3 of the first Test on Thursday at the SuperSport Park.
At the end of the lunch, South Africa put up 392/7 runs on the board in 100 overs, with Jansen and Kagiso Rabada unbeaten at scores of 72 (120) and 1 (4) respectively.
Elgar's farewell series continued to showcase the perfect combination of aggressiveness and temperament.
The left-handed batter scored 185 off 287 deliveries, which consisted of 28 boundaries. Shardul Thakur eventually removed the batter before he could reach a much-deserved double century.
India kicked off the session well, with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj keeping things tight at the beginning, inducing batters to play shots and eventually beating them.
Siraj breached David Bedingham's defence and sent him back for 56 (87). Prasidh Krishna joined the attack and dismissed Kyle Verreynne for 4. The wicketkeeper batter attempted to cut the ball but gloved it straight to KL Rahul behind the stumps.
From that point, Elgar and Jansen stitched up a 111-run partnership, which once again shifted the tides in favour of the Proteas.
Thakur got the much-needed breakthrough and Ashwin, a couple of overs later, ended Gerald Coetzee's short cameo of 19 off 18 balls.
Overall, Shardul and Prasidh leaked runs, while Jansen's highest Test score has further bolstered South Africa's position in the first Test.
Brief Score: India 245 (KL Rahul 101, Virat Kohli 38; Kagiso Rabada 5-59) vs South Africa 392/7 (Dean Elgar 185, Marco Jansen 72; Jasprit Bumrah 2-59).
