SA add 66 runs to their overnight score of 269/6 before lunch
South Africa added 66 runs to their overnight score of 269/6 before they were bowled out for 335 shortly before lunch on day two of the second Test against India at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Sunday.
Much of South Africa’s runs after the restart on Sunday were scored by skipper Faf du Plessis‚ who ended his innings having scored a well constructed and defiant 63 off 142 balls before he became the Proteas’ third wicket.
India went to the lunch break on 4/0 with openers Murali Vijay on four while his partner Lokesh Rahul was yet to put something on board and face a ball as South Africa started their defence with spinner Kahsav Maharaj.
The first to fall in the morning was Maharaj for 18 runs off 54 balls when he nicked the ball to Parthiv Patel in the ninth over from the bowling of Mohammed Shami‚ who in the process claimed his 100th test wicket.
After 101 overs‚ Kagiso Rabada was dropped twice in consecutive balls by Indian skipper Virat Kohli at slip and as a result of miscommunication between Hardik Pandya and Shami who got in each other’s way.
A few overs later‚ South Africa reached the 300 run mark when Du Plessis swept the ball in front of square to find the boundary and his effort was met with loud cheers from the fans.
A few overs later‚ Du Plessis reached his seventeenth Test half century with a flick to deep backward square leg.
This came off a staggering 127 balls and it included seven boundaries in the 195 minutes he was on the crease.
The second wicket to fall was Rabada for eleven runs when he was caught by Pandya‚ who made up for his earlier misfield that saved the South African fast bowler‚ at deep square leg from the bowling of Ishant Sharma as India continued to rip through Proteas’ tail.
South Africa’s resistance was effectively broken when Du Plessis was clean bowled by Sharma who crushed his middle stump and the last wicket was Morne Morkel for six runs when he was caught Vijay from the bowling of Ravichandran Ashwin.
Debutant Lungi Ngidi ended unbeaten with just one run off four balls but he is going to be tested with ball in hand as Proteas defend their total in the second session.