SA vs IND Highlights Day 1, First Test: India 208/8 (59) v South Africa; KL Rahul scores fighting fifty; Play called off due to rain

There it is. Play has been called off for the day. Quite a few puddles forming on the ground. Just 59 overs today. The pitch has seen variable bounce from Day 1 and batting has been quite hard. Kagiso Rabada’s fifer and KL Rahul’s unbeaten fifty are the highlights of the day. India will look to put on same lower order partnerships to get the team closer to the 240-mark.

Join us for live action from Day 2 tomorrow. 

It has started raining heavily now on SuperSport Park. Will be surprised if play continues today. Still time left though, let’s hope it clears. 

It is really cloudy out there and there is a slight drizzle. The umpires’ have decided to pause play and the players make their way out of the ground. It isn’t raining much and the issue seems to be poor lighting.

Jansen continues. Round the wicket against Rahul. On the pads and clipped away for a double. Wide from Jansen and Rahul edges it. But it lands short of the first slip. Wide again from Jansen. This time Rahul finds the gap with slice. Four! He can’t take a single off the last ball, leaving Siraj on strike for the next over. 

Coetzee back into the attack. Rahul pushes one to the deep cover and adds a couple of runs. Full now from Coetzee and Rahul lofts it over extra cover for a glorious four. Short from Coetzee and Rahul pulls it with control. Four more. Rahul now takes a single. Siraj has to deal with the last delivery and he survives the test. 

Jansen gets a crack at Siraj now. Starts with one wide of the stump and Siraj leaves it. Siraj gets through the over without much damage. 

Burger up against Rahul now. Five dot balls to start the over with. South Africa would love to have new batter Siraj on strike. Rahul can’t take a single off the last ball and the Proteas have Siraj on strike for the 57th over. 

Jansen goes around the wicket against Bumrah. The Indian vice-captain has had enough of defending and has a swing at a fuller length one. The ball swings in enough to take an inside edge and crash onto the stumps. 

Jasprit Bumrah b Jansen 1 (19b 0x4 0x6)

IND 191/8 in 55 overs

Burger over the wicket against KL Rahul. Keeps it away from the Indian batter’s scoring areas. Five dot balls on the trot. Rahul takes a single with a controlled pull shot of the last ball to retain the strike. 

Rabada bounces one onto Bumrah’s gloves. That must have hurt. Rabada continues to get the better of Bumrah. Beats his outside edge continuously. 

On the pads from Burger and Rahul times it perfectly. Coetzee can’t chase it down in time. FOUR!! Full on the off side now and Rahul slashes at it and it is a six and that also brings up his fifty. 

Rabada starts off the final session of the day. Couple of deliveries down the leg stump against KL Rahul to start with. 

IND 177/7 in 51 overs

Rabada nails Rahul down to five dot balls. Short and wide from Rabada for the last ball and Rahul cuts it ferociously for a four. And tea is taken. 

Bumrah on strike now against Burger. The left-arm pacer starts with a couple of byes, before Bumrah gets off the strike with a bye. Rahul takes an easy single to retain strike.

Length ball from Burger. Enough width for Rahul to swing his bat at it. Flies to the fence. FOUR! Just a single from the rest of the over. 

Rabada now up against Shardul Thakur. Back of the length and it bounces sharply. Comes off Shardul’s shoulder. He needs to be attended by the physio again. 

Full from Rabada and Shardul smashes it straight to short cover. And that is the fifer for Rabada. 

Shardul Thakur c Elgar b Rabada 24 (33b 3x4 0x6)

Burger back into the attack. Over the wicket and on the pads and Shardul nicks it away for a single. Burger goes around the wicket now and manages to beat Rahul’s outside edge. 

Six!! Full and wide from Jansen, Rahul lofts it over the covers and the ball has enough to go over the rope for six. 

Thakur tries to flick a full one to the leg side, gets a leading edge that runs to point. He gets a couple. Coetzee goes short and Thakur is hit on the helmet. A concussion test being conducted.

Four!! Over pitched on the pads, Thakur flicks to the boundary for another four. Good partnership brewing between the two. Important runs for India to put up a decent total.

Four!! Short and wide from Coetzee, Thakur hangs back and lofts it over the catching extra cover fielder for a boundary.

Jansen back into the attack. Four!! Full and wide, Rahul guides it through the gap between slip and gully for a boundary. Appeal for LBW next ball but the umpire says no. Clear inside edge on the replay. Four!! Jansen goes short, Rahul pulls to midwicket for a boundary.

Four!! Over pitched on off, Thakur drives it straight down the ground for a boundary. Six from the over.

Thakur in at 7. Coetzee gets his leading edge but falls safely behind the bowler. Thakur scampers across and opens his account.

Wicket!! Rabada picks his fourth. Short of a length on off, shot up after pitching and clips Ashwin’s bat on the way to slips. Good catch by Mulder who had to time his leap to complete the catch.

Ashwin c (sub)Wiaan Mulder b Rabada 8(11)

Reports suggesting that Bavuma has an issue with his left hamstring and is being taken for scans. 

Four!! Full and wide from Burger, Rahul drives through the covers for a boundary. Five from the over.

Rabada to Ashwin. Yikes!! Four!! Ashwin mistimes a punch through the off side. Dean Elgar at short mid wicket moves to the wrong side and the ball runs away to the boundary. Says he missed it due to the light. Four!! Over pitched outside off, Ashwin drives through extra cover for another boundary.

Four!! Rabada tests Rahul with a short one. He stands up straight pulls it to deep square for a boundary. Wicket!!! Full and swinging away, manages to find Kohli’s edge as he prod forward to defend. Rabada picks his third!

Kohli c Verreynne b Rabada 38(64)

Burger now. Full and wide and Kohli is tempted. Drives it on the up. Not in complete control, but still gains a four from the shot. 

Burger with the second over of the session. Last ball of the over. Outside the leg stump and the keeper can’t get his hand on it. Runs away for a four. 

Rabada now up against the new batter, KL Rahul. He plays out a maiden over. 

Rabada starts the second session. Kohli with a quick single to begin the phase of play for India. Shryeas thumps a cover drive. But it is cut off by a diving Peterson. No single taken. 

Rabada pitches one outside the off stump line. Scrambled seam and it jags back in after pitching. Crashes into the stumps. BOWLED!!

Shreyas Iyer b Rabada 31 (50b 3x4 1x6)

Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer make their way out to the middle and the second session begins. 

Jaffa from Jansen. Pitches one on middle and leg and moves it away from Shreyas. Beaten! The left-arm pacer continues to move it away from the Indian batter. And that is Lunch on Day 1. 

Too full from Coetzee. It is on the pads and Shryeas flicks it with panache. SIX!! First of the match. Couple of singles from the rest of the over. 

Jansen tests Shreyas with a bouncer. He manages to fend it away. Shreyas gets off the strike with a sharp single. A tad full on the off side from Jansen and Kohli punches it through covers for a triple. 

Full again from Jansen again and it is treated to a cracking straight drive from Kohli. FOUR!!

Coetzee with his fifth. He continues to angle it into the stumps from over the wicket. Shreyas has to stay sharp to get through the over. 

On the pads from Coetzee and Shreyas clips it away for an easy four. Good length ball on the sixth stump and it bounces enough to take Shreyas by surprise. Edged and it flies over the slip cordon. Couple of runs added. 

Jansen over the wicket to Shreyas Iyer. Length ball and pushes to covers for a single. Jansen has the beating off Kohli’s outside edge with one that held its line. Full from Jansen now and Kohli drives it one the up. Bavuma chases it down, but has injured himself in the process. He makes his way out of the field and Markram has taken over as the captain for now.

Coetzee starts the over surprise in-swinging yorker. Kohli jabs it away. Coetzee continue to swing it into Kohli, until he manages to strike the Indian batter on the front pad. Loud appeal from the South Africans. No response from the umpire and no review taken. Seems like it was going down the leg side. 

Second over for Coetzee. Leading edge from Shreyas and gets two runs from it. Couple of singles more from the rest of the over. 

Jansen returns. Kohli on strike. Four dot balls later, Kohli taps one to the leg side and takes a quick single. 

Burger continues. Pitches it up and Kohli middles the straight drive. Easy looking shot. FOUR!!

Burger goes full again. This time it is on the pads and Kohli graciously clips it away for another four. Fifty up for India.

Coetzee into the attack. Two singles from his first over.

Dropped!! Full on the stumps, Kohli looks for another flick, more bounce and it lobs up to De Zorzi at catching square leg who spills it. Another stroke of luck for India. 

Four!! Short and wide outside off Shreyas gets a leading edge on his shot. Jansen spills it at point and the ball runs away for a boundary.

South Africa review a caught behind down leg after the umpire says no. Gill the batter in question. Wicket!! Ultra edge shows a spike when the ball passes the glove. Huge jolt for India!

Shubman Gill c Verreynne b Nandre Burger 2(12)

Four!! Full on the stumps, trademark Kohli flick through midwicket for his first boundary. 

Wicket!! Burger brings the ball in with wobble seam, setting up Jaiswal, before getting a full one to move away. Jaiswal goes for the drive and edges it to the keeper. First test wicket for Burger.

Jaiswal c Verreynne b Nandre Burger 17(37)

First change in bowling as Nandre Burger comes into the attack. Four! Slightly short, Jaiswal bends his back and punches it uppishly through the off side for a boundary. 

Four!! Jaiswal gets a boundary through the slips off the last ball of the over. Jansen still unable to strike the perfect lines. 

Rabada goes full, finds a lot of movement as Rohit is beaten on the outside edge. Wicket!! A short ball and Rohit perishes. Went for the attempted swivel pull and finds deep fine leg to perfection.

Rohit c Nandre Burger b Rabada 5(14)

Jansen struggling to get his line right, quite a way outside off stump. Four!! Too full outside off, Jaiswal drives it through the covers for a boundary.

Four!! Slightly short and wide from Rabada, Rohit stands up and punches it through the off-side for a boundary. Appeals for LBW, Umpire says no. Looks like it was going down leg. Jagged back in quite a bit that one.

Jansen from the other end. Full moving into the right hander, Rohit jams his bat down to defend. Jansen gets one to bounce from a length, Rohit defends awkwardly and the ball trickles past short leg for a single.

Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal walk down the never-ending Centurion staircase. Overcast conditions will make batting quite difficult in the early hours of play.

Rabada with the new cherry. Jaiswal to face. On a length just outside off, Jaiswal opts to leave. More bounce in the following delivery as Jaiswal shoulders arms. Rabada goes fuller and gets some movement. Four!! Half volley on the pads to finish the over and Jaiswal tucks it to the leg side boundary.

India - Rohit Sharma(c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

South Africa - Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma(c), Keegan Petersen, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne(w), Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burger

Ravindra Jadeja misses out due to upper back spasms. R. Ashwin and Shardul Thakur will be the all-rounders for India. 

Bavuma wins the toss and South Africa will bowl first. 

Prasidh Krishna to make his Test debut for India. He is handed the cap in the team huddle amidst applause from his teammates. 

Credit - BBC Weather

Matches played: 42

India won: 15

South Africa won: 17

Draws: 10

Last result: South Africa won by seven wickets (2022; Cape Town)

The first Test between South Africa and India will be telecast on the Star Sports network. The match can also be live streamed via the Disney+ Hotstar app and website. 

INDIA

Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ravichandran Ashwin, Srikar Bharat (wk), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Mukesh Kumar

SOUTH AFRICA

Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma (c), David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Keegan Petersen, Wiaan Mulder, Nandre Burger, Tristan Stubbs

No Indian team has won a Test series in South Africa and Rohit Sharma’s men will be looking to conquer this final frontier as the first out the two Tests gets underway at the SuperSport Park here from Tuesday.

To begin their challenge, they need the weather to allow play. It rained heavily on the eve of the match and the forecast isn’t very encouraging for the Boxing Day either.

The last time India played a Test match here, two years ago, it secured a convincing 113-run victory. Many of the players from that side are missing in this squad, though, including Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. This is the first time in over a decade that India is playing an away Test without either of the red-ball specialists.