Century stand saves SA

Wickets continued to tumble, but a century stand by AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis eased South Africa’s troubles on the opening day of their test series against India at Newlands on Friday.

South Africa were 230/7 at tea. Keshav Maharaj was 23 not out with Kagiso Rabada on one.

Du Plessis won the toss and chose to bat, and his team shambled to 12/3 inside the first five overs with the top order of Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram and Hashim Amla all dismissed.

That brought De Villiers and Du Plessis together at the crease, and they shared a partnership of 114 before being removed three overs apart.

De Villiers batted aggressively for his 65, which came off 84 balls and included 11 fours.

Du Plessis, who faced 104 deliveries for his 62 and hit 12 fours, was solidly circumspect.

The first two deliveries of the match, bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, sailed past Elgar’s legs.

But the third seamed away from the left-hander, who nicked it and was caught behind.

Kumar trapped Markram in front with an inswinger in his next over, and in the medium pacer’s following over Amla steered an edge to the wicketkeeper.

That earned Kumar figures of 3/4 from the first 17 deliveries he bowled.

The responsive pitch was part of the reason for Kumar’s success, but not as much as his consistently accurate bowling.

India stayed on top until the ninth over, when De Villiers slashed Kumar over the slip cordon for four and crashed his next delivery through point for another boundary.

For all Kumar’s superiority, it fell to debutant seamer Jasprit Bumrah to separate De Villiers and Du Plessis in the seventh over after lunch, when De Villiers drove at an inswinger and angled it onto his stumps. 

Hardik Pandya had a cutting Du Plessis caught behind to reduce South Africa to 142/5.

Quinton de Kock and Vernon Philander steadied the home side with a stand that reached 60 before De Kock edged Kumar to the wicketkeeper.

Kumar might have completed a five-wicket haul in the seventh over before tea, but Shikhar Dhawan at third slip botched a chance offered by Maharaj when he had yet to score.

Instead, Kumar went to tea with 4/68.