South Africa's quicks dominate India at The Wanderers
Day one of the third Test belonged to South Africa despite contrasting centuries from Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara, and a feisty hand of 30 from Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Each of South Africa’s five pacemen chipped in on another ball-dominated day, as India were bowled out for 187, and in the six overs before stumps, the home side made 6/1.
Faced with a pitch that had more than a smattering of grass, Kohli faced a tricky decision at the toss. But with the surface having a reputation for being even quicker on days two and three, he opted to bat. Murali Vijay took seven off Morne Morkel’s opening over, but the rest of the morning was a tale of relentless struggle against a potent bowling line-up.
Vernon Philander provided the first breakthrough, with the first ball of his second over. Inward movement befuddled KL Rahul, and an inside edge on to the thigh pad was well caught by Quinton de Kock diving to his left. Pujara then survived a South African review for leg before, before Kagiso Rabada’s fourth ball induced a loose drive from Vijay. Kohli was in the middle with just 13 on the board.
India's captain immediately tried to get the scoreboard moving, but the tourists would have been in greater strife if South Africa had reviewed a not-out decision after Lungi Ngidi had pinned Pujara on the crease. Replays suggested the ball would have hit leg stump. Pujara left, played and missed, blocked, and missed some more, and was unable to pierce the field for almost the entire session.
Kohli was a different story. He played with the intent he has asked for from his teammates, aided by a liberal lashing of luck. When on 11, he miscued a pull shot against Rabada that flew off the top edge to wide mid-off. Philander couldn’t cover the ground quick enough to hold on to the chance. And after Pujara finally got off the mark with the 54th ball he faced – to ironic cheers from the crowds – Kohli cut Andile Phehlukwayo for four as India went to lunch on 45/2. Of the 27 overs bowled, 16 were maidens, seven of them from Philander.
The pace of scoring picked up appreciably after the break. Kohli struck a lovely cover drive off Morkel, and Pujara finally found his groove with two cuts for four off Philander. Kohli had moved to 32 when Morkel found the edge again, but AB de Villiers grassed the chance at third slip. Kohli celebrated the reprieve with a gorgeous on-drive and a fortuitous inside edge to fine leg, much to Morkel’s exasperation.
A cover-drive and an emphatic pull, either side of drinks, took Kohli to one of the better half-centuries he’ll ever make, but he couldn’t carry on. Ngidi, who had dismissed him at Centurion as well, pitched one full, and late movement saw Kohli’s drive fly off the edge to third slip. This time, de Villiers held on, even as he fell backwards. Kohli’s 54 spanned 106 balls, and as he walked off, the cameras panned to Ngidi’s delighted parents, watching from one of the hospitality boxes.
South Africa thought they had got Ajinkya Rahane for just 3, caught behind off Philander, only for replays to show that he had overstepped by a fraction. But Rahane, playing his first game of the series, couldn’t cash in either, making only 9 before Morkel pinned him on the crease. India reviewed, but umpire’s call on impact with leg stump sent him on his way.
After taking tea on 114/4, Pujara came out in a much more positive frame of mine, driving and cutting Ngidi for three fours. He then glanced Phehlukwayo for four more as he and Parthiv Patel added 30 for the fifth wicket. But any thoughts of making the most of easier batting conditions under clear blue skies quickly vanished as the unheralded Phehlukwayo made two crucial interventions.
First, late movement saw Pujara edge behind after a 179-ball vigil for 50. Then, after Patel had slashed at a rising Morkel delivery to be caught behind, Hardik Pandya played an awful cross-batted swipe to Phehlukwayo. From the relative comfort of 144/4, India were 144/7.
Bhuvneshwar came in and laced some lovely strokes through the covers, but there was little support from the other end. Mohammed Shami clubbed Philander to mid-off, while Ishant Sharma was undone by a peach of an outswinger from Rabada that he could only edge behind. Then, after a flurry of cavalier shots from Bhuvneshwar, he mistimed a pull off Rabada, bowling round the wicket, to Phehlukwayo at mid-wicket.
Bhuvneshwar quickly came back out to have Aiden Markram caught behind, but there was little doubt that it was once against South Africa’s day, despite Kohli leading India from the front.