Virat Kohli, Pandya continue their fight as India score 183/5 at stumps

Faf du Plessis held the fort for the hosts at one end as India took regular wickets in the morning session of the second day.

India grasped the initiative with four wickets in the final session after half-centuries from Aiden Markram and Hashim Amla put South Africa in a promising position on day one of the second Test.

Later, Pandya and Kohli ensured that India don’t lose any more wickets as South Africa pressed high to bag another wicket which could have heavily tilted the game in their favour.

Morne Morkel swivelled one full-toss from off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to the hands of Murali Vijay at deep cover to bring an end to the first innings of South Africa. Three of them were when he played a defensive shot well outside off.

Ishant gave a good account of himself on his return to the starting XI in place of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, whose exclusion had drawn widespread criticism for the team mangement on Saturday. “The slips come into play a lot, and that hasn’t happened which tells you then and there that it’s not a typical Centurion pitch”, he said. It will now be exciting to see if the South African pace battery manages to make inroads into the Indian batting line-up. As soon as he hit it and he took off, I wasn’t even looking at him. It only helped that this is his home ground. He was adamant not to poke anything outside off stump and rotated the strike.

South Africa were also seriously considering leaving Maharaj out and going all guns blazing with a five-pronged pack.

Markram was the aggressor, while Elgar batted with steely resolve and backed his defensive techniques to the hilt as the hosts reached 78/0 till the lunch session.

Markram and Amla kept the runs flowing with a 63-run partnership before Markram was caught behind off the bowling of Ashwin for 94, which came off 150 balls and included 15 boundaries.

It worked. He’s been one of the top spinners in world cricket over the last two, three years. Ashwin had reached the landmark of 100 wickets in just 18 matches. Apart from a sustained bouncer attack, South Africa did almost everything right against Kohli. It was a slightly slow innings from the otherwise aggressive de Villiers, but with four days of cricket still left after this, it wasn’t a cause for concern.Post the tea break, the Indians struck again and this time it was Ishant who struck. He fended off the rising delivery outside the off stump with controlled cut and push. Pandya collected the ball and threw directly at the non-striker’s end to catch Amla short of the crease.

And then, well… Du Plessis called Amla through for a single that wasn’t on, Pandya produced a moment of magnificent skill and athleticism to run the latter out for 82, Quinton de Kock went first ball to Ashwin and Vernon Philander ran down the pitch inexplicably thinking a single was available when it wasn’t.

“Most of them have played in South Africa, they have been there and other countries like Australia, England and New Zealand, they know what to do, they just need time in the middle and once they get going, this wicket will suit Indian batsman”. It’s why spinners can not bowl bouncers. And run outs don’t happen every over at the global level.