Dean Elgar’s special ton and debutant David Bedingham’s half-century put South Africa in the driving seat in Centurion after India pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj struck on Day 2 of the first Test match at the SuperSport Park on Wednesday.
At the time of Stumps, South Africa’s score read 256/5 -lead by 11 runs- with Elgar (140) and Marco Jansen (3) unbeaten at the crease. Runs flowed from the bats of Elgar and Bedingham, but India made crucial breakthroughs before bad light cut play short.
The last session of the day started with the debutant David Bedingham slamming a half-century while rotating the strike with Dean Elgar continuously. However, Mohammed Siraj provided India with a much-needed breakthrough as he removed debutant Bedingham for 56, breaking a solid partnership.
Prasidh Krishna then struck in the 62nd over to bag his maiden Test wicket, removing new batter Kyle Verreynne for 4.
Jansen stepped out and took the next few overs, with Elgar looking assured at the other end at Stumps.
Earlier, Elgar kicked off his Test swansong in style with a belligerent century, putting South Africa in a commanding position against India’s pace attack at the end of the second session of Day 2.
At the time of Tea on Day 2, South Africa’s score read 194/3 – trail by 51 runs – with Elgar 115 and David Bedingham 32 unbeaten at the crease. In the second session, India fought back as Jasprit Bumrah bagged two wickets.
Former Proteas captain Elgar kept his team one set ahead in the game with his brilliant counterattack alongside Tony.
With the tremendous shot, Elgar notched up his 24th Test half-century in the 23rd over of their innings. South African batters showcased excellence, making it look easy with some impressive cricket.
Jasprit Bumrah gave India a big breakthrough by removing dangerous batter Tony for 28, breaking a strong partnership. Yashasvi Jaiswal at third slip took the regulation catch without a fuss. Bumrah then struck again in his next over to remove new batter Keegan Petersen for 2.
With the stand between de Zorzi and Elgar, India was under tremendous strain, and runs were flowing, so Rohit turned to Bumrah, who struck twice in two overs to put the game back to an even keel.
New batter David Bedingham then kept the scoreboard ticking with the Elgar for Proteas. South Africa held the advantage, reaching 150 with 3 wickets down after 40 overs. Elgar showed his class batting on the second day as he brought up his 14th Test which was followed by a roar after punching the air as he celebrated his hundred, showcasing how much it meant to him.
The duo of Elgar and debutant Bedingham took their team’s total to 194/3 in 49 overs of their innings at the time of Tea.
Earlier in the first session of the day, KL Rahul’s 101-run knock powered India to 245 in their first inning. At the end of the lunch, South Africa posted a total of 49/1, with Dean Elgar and Tony de Zorzi unbeaten, having a partnership of 44 runs.
India ended their inning at 245 after Rahul (101 runs from 137 balls) once again proved to be the ‘Man in Crisis’.
On the other hand, Mohammed Siraj made the first breakthrough for the visitors after he removed Aiden Markram (5 runs from 17 balls) in the initial overs of the Proteas’ inning.
India lost two quick wickets earlier on day two but Rahul managed to stand still in front of the Proteas pacers and completed his century after smashing two consecutive sixes against Kagiso Rabada.
Rabada’s five-wicket haul rattled India’s batting lineup. However, Rahul made crucial partnerships with the batters to keep the visitors in a decent place in the tricky conditions at SuperSport Park. He added 43 runs with Shardul Thakur, 27 with Jasprit Bumrah, and 47 with Mohammed Siraj.
With Jasprit Bumrah, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Shardul Thakur on the attack for India, the visitors are looking forward to getting more wickets in the upcoming sessions. Recapping the first day of the Test match, rain played spoilsport as the majority of the third session was ruled out on Day 1 of the first Test between India and South Africa at the SuperSport Park.
At the end of Day 1, India scored a total of 208/8 in 59 overs with KL Rahul and Mohammed Siraj unbeaten with respective scores of 70 (105)* and 0 (10)*.
KL Rahul fought valiantly throughout the time that he spent on the field. While the rest of the batters failed to overcome Kagiso Rabada, he fought with vigour to take India’s score past the 200-run mark. Siraj also showed patience during the 10 balls that he faced he faced.
The only casualty in the final session was Jasprit Bumrah, who lost his patience and ended up losing his wicket to Marco Jansen after playing 19 balls.
Brief score: India 245 (KL Rahul 101, Virat Kohli 38; Kagiso Rabada 5-59) vs South Africa 194/3 (Dean Elgar 140*, David Bedingham 56; Jasprit Bumrah 2-48).
