India remain dangerous in poised Centurion test
THE second cricket test match between South Africa and India remains delicately poised with three days to come.
At stumps of day two at SuperSport Park in Centurion, inspirational Indian captain Virat Kohli was standing tall with a defiant unbeaten knock of 85 to help his side to 183/5 in reply to South Africa’s firstinnings total of 335. India trail by 152 runs. It was a special occasion for South African fast bowler Lungi Ngidi, 21, who claimed his first test wicket with the scalp of Parthiv Patel, who was caught by Quinton de Kock behind the stumps in the closing stages.
South African captain Faf du Plessis will feel that SA have their noses in front because of the five wickets they took.
But India remain dangerous, with Kohli and Hardik Pandya – who scored 93 in the first innings of the first test in Cape Town – on 11.
They still have capable Ravichandran Ashwin and the rest of the tail in the form of Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah in the bank.
When play resumed yesterday, South Africa were bowled out for 335 shortly before lunch following the loss of the wickets of Keshava Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Du Plessis and Morne Morkel for just 66 runs.
Ishant Sharma did most of the damage with two wickets while Shami and Ashwin claimed one each as they stopped South Africa from piling on the runs.
India’s reply did not start as they had planned because KL Rahul (46) was caught and bowled by Morkel, for his 50th wicket against the visitors, shortly after lunch when the opener mistimed his shot in the 10th over.
It got even better for South Africa in the next ball when debutant Ngidi showed athleticism to run out Cheteshwar Pujara without scoring, after a mix-up with his opening partner Murali Vijay.
When he got his opportunity to bowl, Ngidi started well with his first over in test cricket returning with a maiden with Kohli on the other side and he ended his first bowling spell at this level with figures of 1/26 after nine overs.
The dismissal of Pujara introduced the mightily dangerous Kohli to the crease and he did not waste time to start the rebuilding job with Vijay, as South African fast bowlers Morkel and Vernon Philander showed good early signs. The promising partnership of 79 between Kohli and Vijay was broken after the tea break when the latter top-edged the ball for De Kock to claim an easy catch behind the stumps when they were looking good together on the crease.
South Africa continued to attack the Indians and Rabada got another breakthrough when he trapped Rohit Sharma for leg before wicket having scored only 10 runs.
The fifth and final of the day followed just before 5pm and it belonged to Ngidi after De Kock’s catch.