SA Vs Ind: Bowlers wreak havoc to leave visitors tottering (Tea, Day 3)
Dec 28, 2021
Centurion [South Africa], December 28 : Hosts are in deep trouble as Indian bowlers wreaked havoc to reduce them to 109/5 trailing the visitors by 218 runs at Tea on day-3 at the SuperSport Park on Tuesday.
Resuming the post-lunch session at 21/1 South African batters looked in complete disarray as in the third ball itself Mohammed Shami cleaned up Keegan Petersen for just 15. Unfortunately for India pacer Jasprit Bumrah twisted his right ankle while bowling in his sixth over and had to leave the field immediately.
Later on, the report came that Bumrah has a sprain on his right ankle. But Shami was pumped up after getting his first scalp and he also clean bowled opener Aiden Markram for 13.
Mohammed Siraj too joined the party as he dismissed Rassie van der Dussen caught in the gully by Ajinkya Rahane to leave the Proteas tottering at 32 for 4. In the very next ball, Siraj produced yet another gem this time to South Africa's wicket-keeper batter Quinton de Kock but KL Rahul floored it.
Temba Bavuma and de Kock survived the onslaught to take the hosts beyond the 50-run mark. The duo of Bavuma & de Kock struck a 50-run partnership as they did not allow off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to settle in any kind of rhythm.
The hosts went past the 100-run mark but Indian bowlers came hard at the South Africans again as Shardul Thakur dismissed de Kock for 34 ending a 72-run partnership.
Earlier in the day, India resumed day-3 at 272/3 and centurion KL Rahul could add only one run to his day-1 score as Kagiso Rabada dismissed him with a short delivery caught behind to wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock.
In the space of 13 runs the Indian team was dealt with another severe blow of the day as Lungi Ngidi bagged his fourth wicket of the match dismissing Ajinkya Rahane and the Mumbai lad fell short of his half-century. Rahane who was struggling for form before this match failed to capitalize on the start as he got on day one and was out caught behind by de Kock for 48.
After that, there was no looking back for Protea pacers as they ran through the Indian batting line-up. In the very next over Rabada got his second wicket in the form of Ravichandran Ashwin for 4. Four balls later India lost swashbuckling wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant for 8 as Ngidi got his fifth scalp.
India scratched their way to the 300-run mark and at the score of 304, India lost the wicket of Shardul Thakur caught behind to keeper de Kock of Rabada's bowling for just 4.
In the next over Lungi Ngidi got his sixth wicket and wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock got his fourth catch to dismiss Mohammed Shami for 8. India's last wicket showed some resistance as they took the team's total from 308 to 327 with Jaspit Bumrah hitting a couple of boundaries.
Debutant Marco Jansen got his first Test scalp as he dismissed Bumrah for 14 to bowl India out for 327.
Brief Scores: SA 109/5 (Temba Bavuma 31*, Wiaan Mulder 4*, Quinton de Kock 34; Mohammed Shami 2/16, Jasprit Bumrah 1/12) vs India 327/10 (KL Rahul 123, Mayank Agarwal 60, Ajinkya Rahane 48, Lungi Ngidi 6/71, Kagiso Rabada 3/72)
