'They caught us off guard' – Quinton de Kock on Sri Lanka’s rookies

Sri Lanka’s day was highlighted by the fast-bowling duo of Vishwa Fernando and Kasun Rajitha, who have played nine Tests between them, and took seven of the 10 South African first-innings wickets.

The duo’s incision rocked the South African top order, leaving them at 89/4, and but for de Kock’s 94-ball 80 at No. 6, things could have gone further downhill for the home team.

"I think they caught us off guard," de Kock said. "Going forward, we'll be much more alert to the bowling upfront. We've understood that Suranga Lakmal is a serious opening bowler that we have seen a lot of, and have good plans for, but were a bit unaware of the new guys."

While Fernando dismissed both the openers, Rajitha chipped away at the middle order, accounting for Faf du Plessis, Vernon Philander and de Kock.

"The two new guys, we hadn't seen much," de Kock said. "We've only played one of them [Rajitha] in white-ball cricket once.

"To understand and change our gameplan can be quite tough, especially with the pitch. They bowled really well, they didn't miss their lengths often. We had work hard to get what we did."

Having had a feel for their skillset now, de Kock hoped South Africa could learn from their experience, but implored caution.

"I think what surprised us was just the angle of their bowling and the skills they had. They had different actions, some skiddiness, and some bounce," he said.

"But with those new guys, the batsmen have had a feel of them now, and we'll come back and see how we are going to go about it. We've got to keep our eyes open for them."

As for the home team’s own bowling attack, de Kock pinned Keshav Maharaj as their MVP as the game wears on. "I think early on, in the first hour or two, there definitely will be some movement in the wicket. But I think as the day goes on, it will get better," he said.

"I also think Keshav Maharaj will come into play a little bit more. As you see, the wicket is spinning quite a bit."