Quick guide:
South Africa vs India
3rd Test Venue: Newlands, Cape Town.
Summary
Batting first, other batters couldn’t go on for too long. Indian skipper Virat Kohli top-scored for the tourists with a 79 off 201 balls, hitting 12 boundaries and a six in the process. Playing in his milestone 50th Test, Proteas spearhead Kagiso Rabada finished with impressive figures of 4/73, while all-rounder Marco Jansen snared 3/55 with his left arm pace. The hosts finished the day 206 runs behind in the first innings to complete the opening day of the third Test.
Jasprit Bumrah got India the start they wanted by dismissing Aiden Markram for 8 early on Day 2. Only Keegan Petersen (72) stood out for his team with a little help from Temba Bavuma and Rassie Van Der Dussen and managed to get a total of 210 in their first innings. Bumrah bagged his five-wicket haul in South Africa to bowl out the Proteas
India started their second innings by losing both the openers cheaply with Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara remaining unbeaten on day 2 to lead by 70 runs.
Jansen got the big wicket of Pujara early on Day 3 post which Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi exposed India’s middle-order once again. But then Rishabh Pant scored a counterattacking ton in India’s second innings that folded for the visitors for just 198. The second-highest score for India was Kohli with 29. Pacers Marco Jansen (4/36) Kagiso Rabada (3/53) and Lungi Ngidi (3/21) shared all wickets between them.
South Africa began the tricky chase of 212 after Tea with Mohammad Shami getting Aiden Markram early. However, Elgar and Petersen forged a gritty 78-run partnership for the second wicket before Elgar got out just before the stumps to give India a glimmer of hope.
Day 4 was perfectly poised for a dramatic finish with India needing 8 wickets and Proteas needing just 111 runs to complete another series at home against India. Keegan Petersen again top-scored for South Africa with his 82-run knock after which Van der Dussen (41*) and Bavuma (32*) made sure that India’s dream of conquering South Africa remains a dream. The young Proteas team won the decider Test by 7 wickets to take the series 2-1.
Key Takeaway
Throughout the whole series, the standout performers for South Africa were Keegan Petersen and Marco Jansen. Both young players displayed their skills against a top-quality Indian side and their performance in this test and the series will be the biggest takeaway for South Africa.
For India, Jasprit Bumrah continues to grow his stature in the whites while Pant showed his game-changing ability once again. Even though India fell short in this Test, these 2 players stood out for their team.
~Vaibhav Tripathi(Guest Author)
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