Zombieland in Centurion: 5 highlights of Proteas-India, first Test day 1

Kagiso Rabada's superb 5/44 helped the Proteas limit India to 208/8 on day 1 of the first Test at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Tuesday.

TimesLIVE identifies five highlights of an eventful and riveting first day:

Stat

The dismissal of Jasprit Bumrah was Kagiso Rabada’s 500th international wicket. With so much chatter about how his statistics in Test cricket will be affected by South Africa’s very limited schedule in the longest format, it is a figure that should be celebrated as it entrenches his greatness.

Rabada moved to 285 Test wickets with Tuesday’s five-wicket haul. It leaves him seventh on the all-time leading wicket-takers list of the Proteas.

Zombie

Yikes, Zombie has crossed over into the cricket ... the Cranberries tune, first adopted by Irish rugby fans at the World Cup, but then high-jacked by Springbok supporters. The section of the main grandstand in front of which Rabada fielded had a version recognising the brilliance of the Proteas quick bowler. He was most certainly in India’s heads.

Crowd

Not quite a sell-out, but many may have been put off by the rain that delayed the start of play by half an hour. Still, it was a loud and engaged audience with naturally plenty of support for the visitors.

Every time Kohli did anything — cough, sneeze, sip some tea — in the changeroom, there were shrieks from the spectators seated nearby. “It was so nice. In the last two Tests we played against India — there were no spectators [because of Covid-19] and against the West Indies, it was barely half-full. It was so cool, summer vibes in South Africa, I had to pinch myself at times,” Rabada said.

KL Rahul

Kohli gets all the plaudits, but Rahul really is captain cool. His unbeaten 70 was a well-balanced knock, combining aggression and sturdy defence. He must like it here — he made a hundred the last time the teams met at this venue. Conditions on Tuesday were tougher than they were two years ago, and Rahul has kept India afloat in this Test.

Rocking Rohit

Boy, does the Indian skipper not enjoy batting in South Africa. His average dropped to 13.3 after his dismissal for just five on the first day. He’s not passed 50 in an innings here, with his highest score, 47, coming in the second innings of the 2018 Centurion Test when he was still playing in the middle order.

It won’t be getting any easier for the remainder of this match, or the next Test in Cape Town.