Until tomorrow, this is Shivansh Gupta bidding goodbye. CIAO!
I will see you all again at 9 am tomorrow for the second day.
This is all we have for you today. Thank you so much for joining us.
For South Africa, Faf and co. need to think about how to stop this run flow. Another big day coming up tomorrow.
This day belongs to Mayank Agarwal. He is amassing runs at a healthy rate. Rohit Sharma was dismissed cheaply. Pujara showed good form with his 55. Rahane has looked a tad tentative but Kohli hasn't. His commanding fifty puts India in a good position going into day two.
-------------------------END OF SESSION 3, DAY 1 PLAY-------------------------
STUMPS: DAY 1
INDIA 273/3 | 4:40 PM
Overs- 85.1
KOHLI 63(105), Rahane 18(70)
The light metres are out AND UMPIRES HAVE CALLED IT A DAY! Dark clouds were looming over the stadium for quite sometime and the officials have finally decided to call off the play for the day.
Kagiso pitches in short to Rahane and the ball clips off the gloves and flies past de Kock for a boundary.
INDIA 269/3 | 4:35 PM
Overs- 85.0
KOHLI 63(105), Rahane 14(69)
Just a check drive past the cover and long off fielder and Kohli moves into the 60s. Last five overs of the day to go.
LAST SIX OVERS OF THE FIRST DAY COMING UP.
INDIA 257/3 | 4:17 PM
Overs- 81.0
KOHLI 53(92), Rahane 12(58)
His half-century is laced with eight boundaries.
HALF-CENTURY FOR KOHLI! FETCHES THIS OUT FROM OFF AND PUNCHES IT GENTLY TO THE ROPE! THIS IS HIS 23RD TEST FIFTY FOR KOHLI.
Kohli responds in commanding fashion and moves to 49 with a boundary. A half-volley thwarted to the mid-wicket fence.
SHOUT FOR LBW and not-out given! Philander starts with a sharp inswinger and the ball misses the edge and rams into the pads. Faf decides against the review, which was the smart thing to do as the ball had hit high on the back thigh pad.
SOUTH AFRICA WASTES NO TIME IN TAKING THE SECOND NEW BALL. PHILANDER TO DO THE HONOURS.
INDIA 244/3 | 4:09 PM
Overs- 78.0
KOHLI 42(84), Rahane 10(48)
He is greeted by a boundary from captain Kohli. A complete loosener to begin with from Elgar. Pitched it extremely short and Kohli obliged as he rocked back and smashed it through the mid-wicket region for four. He took a single in the next ball and he moves into the 40s. Rahane ends the over by picking up a single at deep extra-cover.
CHANGE IN BOWLING: LEFT-ARM ORTHODOX DEAN ELGAR IS INTO THE ATTACK.
INDIA 238/3 | 4:05 PM
Overs- 77.0
KOHLI 37(79), Rahane 9(47)
Just the second boundary for a tentative-looking Rahane followed by Muthusamy overstepping for the second time in as many overs. Kohli is much comfortable at the crease with five boundaries.
INDIA 219/3 | 3:35 PM
Overs- 69.0
KOHLI 24(57), Rahane 5(19)
Ajinkya Raha took 16 balls to score his first runs but when he did, he did it in typical Rahane fashion. A delightful flick to an over-pitched delivery off his pads and whips to the boundary for four. Nortje is seeking some movement by pitching it up. However, he is only getting hit to the fence on most occasions.
RAHANE OFF THE MARK AND RAHANE WILL BREATHE A SIGH OF RELIEF!
INDIA 205/3 | 3:22 PM
Overs- 66.0
KOHLI 15(48), Rahane 0(10)
Kohli calls for a quick single at point and Rahane has to rush to the other end. Rabada gathers the ball quickly and tries to have a go at the stumps. In the end, an off-balance Rabada throws it wildly past the batsman, keeper and the backing fielder. One plus four runs for Kohli. He won't complain for sure!
200 UP FOR INDIA AND FOUR RUNS GIFTED HERE!
INDIA 198/3 | 3:08 PM
Overs- 61.0
KOHLI 8(28), Rahane 0(0)
NEW BATSMAN IN- AJINKYA RAHANE WALKS OUT TO BAT
Agarwal 108 (195, 16x4, 2x6) ct du Plessis b Rabada
Kagiso comes back into the attack and creates instant impact. Swings one away from Agarwal, who poked at it. The ball finds the edge and flies to the slip cordon where Faf collects a sharp catch. Third wicket for Rabada! He has been the best bowler for Proteas today by a long long margin.
TAKEN AND THAT'S THE END OF A BRILLIANT INNINGS! IT'S THAT MAN, AGAIN! KAGISO RABADA PICKS UP THIRD WICKETS AND IT WAS ALMOST AN ACTION REPLAY OF THE PUJARA DISMISSAL.
INDIA 191/2 | 2:52 PM
Overs- 58.0
AGARWAL 105(188), KOHLI 4(17)
KOHLI DROPPED BY MAHARAJ AND ANOTHER CHANCE GONE BEGGING! South Africa needs to take these chances if it is to prevent the Indians from amassing another gigantic total in the first innings. Coming to the ball, Maharaj tossed it up and enticed Kohli into a drive. However, he ended up hitting it straight back to the bowler and luckily enough for him, the ball was dying on the bowler. Keshav failed to get both his hands down on time. Tough, but spinners are expected to take those.
INDIA 189/2 | 2:48 PM
Overs- 57.0
AGARWAL 104(184), KOHLI 3(15)
He tries to cut a ball which was probably a little full for his liking and he somehow manages to squeeze it past the gully fielder. He'll take it. 16 boundaries and two sixes in his 183-ball hundred.
STAND, RISE AND APPLAUD! MAYANK AGARWAL GETS TO THE SECOND HUNDRED OF HIS CAREER AND HE FOLLOWS SUIT OF GETTING THERE IN STYLE.
INDIA 183/2 | 2:45 PM
Overs- 56.0
AGARWAL 99(181), KOHLI 2(12)
STAND AND DELIVER! Make that two in two. This time, he waits for the ball to come and smashes it out of the park over deep log on!
GOING, GOING, GONE! He steps down the track and hits over log off for his first maximum of the innings!
INDIA 170/2 | 2:36 PM
Overs- 54.0
AGARWAL 87(172), KOHLI 1(9)
One run of the first over after tea.
Kohli is off the mark. Kohli hits one to the leg side and he is off the mark.
Maharaja to get us underway again. Kohli takes guard and here we go.
-------------------------START OF SESSION 3, DAY 1 PLAY-------------------------
This session belonged to India without a shadow of doubt. Mayank and Pujara reached fifties and in the process, put on a 138-run partnership.
One must admit that the spinners in Muthusamy and Maharaj bowled poorly. They either pitched the ball too high up and got driven for boundaries or dragged it short and met the same fate. And yes, Pujara even hit Muthusamy for a maximum over deep square leg.
Kagiso Rabada repaid the faith of his captain and got the breakthrough the Proteas needed by sending Pujara packing for 58 before lunch.
Kohli is yet to get off the mark and Mayank will resume at 86.
-------------------------END OF SESSION 2, DAY 1 PLAY-------------------------
INDIA 168/2 | 2:15 PM
Overs- 53.0
AGARWAL 86(171), KOHLI 0(4)
AND THAT'S TEA! Agarwal plays the ball to covers and draws curtains to another good session for the host.
NEW BATSMAN IN- SKIPPER VIRAT KOHLI JOINS MAYANK IN THE MIDDLE
PUJARA 58 (112, 9x4, 1x6) ct du Plessis b Rabada
GONE! Pujara is caught in the slips after reaching his second straight fifty. Rabada finally induces an edge that carries to the fielder; skipper Faf du Plessis making no mistake in the cordon.
INDIA 132/1 | 1:30 PM
Overs- 44.0
AGARWAL 71(143), PUJARA 37(90)
CENTURY PARTNERSHIP UP BETWEEN THE TWO AND IT'S BEEN A GOOD ONE! Mayank and Pujara have had all the answers to questions asked by the Proteas bowlers.
INDIA 115/1 | 1:10 PM
Overs- 39.0
AGARWAL 61(129), PUJARA 30(74)
IN THE AIR AND SAFE! RATHER, JUST SAFE! A short ball from Nortje forces a pull from Mayank. He didn't look very comfortable, but somehow managed to pierce the fielders set in place for four. South Africa has a ploy in mind. Nortje is running in hard and banging it short to Agarwal. There's a leg slip in place and a fine leg in place.
India is going about the business nicely here. Thankfully, hope I don't jinx it, the heavens have been kind to us as the sun is back out again after a period of cloud cover. Maharaj beat Mayank in the last over and is beginning to get some turn. Certainly encouraging signs for the bowler.
CHANGE IN BOWLING- NORTJE IS BROUGHT BACK.
INDIA 101/1 | 12:47 PM
Overs- 34.0
AGARWAL 50(114), PUJARA 27(59)
FIFTY UP FOR MAYANK AGARWAL! An innings full of grit, patience and stability. After playing out a tough phase of seam bowling, he began to open his arms and his innings is laced with 10 boundaries. That's 40 out of 50 runs scored in boundaries and he has taken 114 balls to get there. Just goes to show how he has been happy to play out the good balls and wait for the right opportunity. A well-compiled half-century, fourth of his test career. Fittingly enough, he reached the mark with a boundary with a drive through the off-side.
INDIA 87/1 | 12:25 PM
Overs- 28.0
AGARWAL 44(92), PUJARA 19(45)
MAYANK MOVES INTO THE 40s with consecutive boundaries off Maharaj. Mayank's wrist work is very solid and with a strong bottom hand, he is going to get the better of spinners more often than not. The first hit to the fence beats mid-on with ease and Maharaja pays the price for pitching up again. The right-hander lunges forward and meets the ball with the middle of the bat.
INDIA 79/1 | 12:22 PM
Overs- 27.0
AGARWAL 36(86), PUJARA 19(45)
Vernon Philander starts with a maiden after lunch. Pujara will be a relieved man. If you remember, in the last test at Vizag, Philander had castled Pujara on the very first ball after lunch.
INDIA 79/1 | 12:16 PM
Overs- 25.0
AGARWAL 36(86), PUJARA 19(39)
On the third delivery of the over, he waits and plays the ball late to fine leg for a couple. Two runs off the first over after resumption.
KESHAV MAHARAJ to resume the proceedings. Mayank Agarwal sees it the first ball off with a text book front-foot defence.
-------------------------START OF SESSION 2, DAY 1 PLAY-------------------------
A very good first session for both team, but India walks into the break with momentum in its favour. Rabada and Philander troubled the openers in the opening hour, getting sharp movement and steep bounce off the deck. Their hard work finally paid off when Rabada dismissed Rohit cheaply.
Then Pujara walked in to bat and, like he always does, took his time to settle in. Debutant Anrich Nortje was also brought into the attack. He rattled Mayank initially with searing pace and even landed a bouncer on his helmet. But once Mayank started reading him, Nortje lost his rhythm and was plundered for several boundaries. He was eventually taken off the attack.
Faf du Plessis brought on Keshav Maharaja towards the end of the session and Pujara used his feet against the left-arm spinner really well to hit a couple of boundaries and keep the scoreboard ticking.
The duo brought up their fifty-run stand in the last over before lunch.
-------------------------END OF SESSION 1, DAY 1 PLAY-------------------------
INDIA 77/1 | 11:33 AM
Overs- 24.0
AGARWAL 34(80), PUJARA 19(39)
Pujara negotiates the last delivery of the over with soft hands AND THAT'S LUNCH.
FIFTY-RUN STAND BETWEEN MAYANK AND PUJARA. Rabada, delivering good short balls, decides to pitch this up onto Pujara's pads and pays the price. The bastman flicks the ball for a boundary with grace to bring a well-earned fifty run partnership between the two.
INDIA 68/1 | 11:13 AM
Overs- 20.0
AGARWAL 30(60), PUJARA 14(29)
And he receives a warm welcome from Pujara, who hits him for boundaries on successive balls. For the first up, Pujara comes down to the ground to get to the pitch of the ball and flick it in the mid-wicket region. In the next delivery, he uses his feet again to get to the ball and closes the face of the bat just on time to hit it for four more.
CHANGE IN BOWLING: Left-arm spinner KESHAV MAHARAJA comes into the attack.
INDIA 60/1 | 11:07 AM
Overs- 19.0
AGARWAL 30(60), PUJARA 6(23)
CHANGE IN BOWLING: PHILANDER HAS BEEN REINTRODUCED, REPLACING NORTJE
Mayank hits Nortje for another boundary and Pujara runs a three to cap off an expensive over from the debutant. As expected, Faf brings about a change.
INDIA 50/1 | 10:52 AM
Overs- 16.0
AGARWAL 26(51), PUJARA 1(13)
FIFTY UP FOR INDIA! Pujara plays the ball on the on-side for a single and he is finally off the mark. 13 deliveries to score his first run of this Test.
INDIA 49/1 | 10:47 AM
Overs- 15.0
AGARWAL 26(46), PUJARA 0(12)
THERE COMES THE THIRD ONE! On the up and once again, showcasing great balance. A little baffled by why Nortje is still pitching it up after being smashed to the fence in the same over.
He follows it up with a drive through the covers. He has Nortje for back-to-back boundaries. He opens the face of the bat, brings the bottom hand into play and guides it beautifully through the gap. This ball was pitched up and just outside off by the bowler.
SUMPTUOUS! HAS TO BE ONE OF THE BEST SHOTS OF THE DAY SO FAR! A STRAIGHT-DRIVE OF PREMIUM QUALITY! GREAT BALANCE, HEAD STILL AND SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL TO WATCH.
INDIA 25/1 | 10:27 AM
Overs- 12.0
AGARWAL 13(34), PUJARA 0(6)
HALF-CHANCE AND DROPPED! PUJARA SURVIVES AN EARLY SCARE! BAVUMA AT FORWARD SHORT LEG CANNOT HOLD ON TO THE CATCH! RABADA FIRES ONE ONTO PUJARA'S PAD, WHO MIDDLES THE BALL ON THE FLICK ONLY TO SEE THE BALL SLAM BAVUMA ON THE CHEST!
This is where the Proteas will try and target Pujara. That's where the batsman is most vulnerable. Bowling sides have often put in a leg slip in the past, waiting for Pujara to mis-hit one of those flicks.
Well, that's Pune for you. As someone who has lived in Pune for a good number of years, I couldn't agree more with our reporter Shayan Acharya .
INDIA 25/1 | 10:18 AM
Overs- 10.0
AGARWAL 9(26), PUJARA 0(0)
CHETESHWAR PUJARA WALKS IN TO BAT!
THIS IS THE FOURTH TIME RABADA HAS GOT THE BETTER OF ROHIT SHARMA IN TESTS. Only Lyon has dismissed Rohit more (5 times).
GONE! Reward for some fine bowling. Rabada gets rid of in-form opener Rohit Sharma, and India has lost an early wicket. An inswinger pitched short of good length meet Rohit Sharma near his waist and he had no choice but to offer a shot. He ends up edging it to the keeper.
INDIA 23/0 | 10:10 AM
Overs- 9.0
AGARWAL 9(26), SHARMA 12(29)
A great first over in Tests from the bowler. He possesses quick pace and only concedes on boundary, that too off Mayank's edge, in the over.
CHANGE IN BOWLING - DEBUTANT NORTJE IS BROUGHT INTO THE ATTACK IN PLACE OF PHILANDER!
INDIA 13/0 | 09:54 AM
Overs- 5.0
AGARWAL 5(16), SHARMA 7(15)
SHOUT FOR LBW AND GIVEN NOT-OUT! Du Plessis signals for a review. Coming to the ball, a sharp inswinger from Philander to Mayank Agarwal that beat the inside edge and rammed into the pads. Original decision was not-out and the replay showed that there was no inside edge. The ball tracking shows that the impact was umpire's call and the ball was clipping the top of off stump. THE ORIGINAL DECISION STANDS AS UMPIRE'S CALL SAVES AGARWAL. PROTEAS RETAIN THEIR REVIEW.
INDIA 5/0 | 09:48 AM
Overs- 4.0
AGARWAL 5(13), SHARMA 6(12)
FIRST BOUNDARY OF THE DAY AND IT GOES TO MAYANK AGARWAL. Not the way he would have liked, but he will take it nonetheless. Good seam position once again from Rabada. The ball was rising and swinging away and the batsman poked at it. The ball flew off the edge between gully and what you can the fourth slip and raced away to the fence.
INDIA 5/0 | 09:40 AM
Overs- 2.0
AGARWAL 1(6) , SHARMA 4(6)
KAGISO RABADA OPENS THE BOWLING FROM THE OTHER END! Both bowler getting movement off the deck along with good carry to the wicket-keeper, especially threatening movement away from the batsman.
INDIA 2/0 | 09:35 AM
Overs 1-0.
AGARWAL 1(4), SHARMA 1(2)
Agarwal is off the mark straight away. He works a straight one off his legs to square leg for a single. Rohit Sharma, two balls later, gets a single as the ball finds the edge but stays low. A single to backward point and he is off the mark too.
IT'S TIME FOR THE FIRST BALL OF THE PUNE TEST AND HERE WE GO!
UMPIRE SIGNALS PLAY.
PHILANDER TO AGARWAL
VERNON PHILANDER HAS THE NEW BALL IN HAND.
ROHIT SHARMA AND MAYANK AGARWAL WALK OUT TO OPEN THE INNINGS FOR INDIA.
-------------------------START OF SESSION 1, DAY 1 PLAY-------------------------
TEAM NEWS: 1 change for both teams from the Vizag Test.
INDIA- Umesh Yadav makes his comeback to the side as India leave Hanuma Vihari out. Kohli mentioned at the toss that the decision has been taken considering the grass covering on the pitch and that there are chances of the ball reversing later.
SOUTH AFRICA- ANRICH NORTJE makes his Test debut as Dane Piedt sits out. S outh Africa's skipper Faf du Plessis said at the toss that his team failed to take 20 wickets in Vizag and in a bid to do so in Pune, the team has made this change.
PITCH REPORT: The surface looks dry and Sunil Gavaskar, while inspecting the playing surface, mentioned that the grass should hold together just fine on the first day. It's a really good surface to bat on and the team winning the toss should bat first.
WEATHER UPDATE: It looks like a sunny morning in Pune. Let's hope the weather stays the same, though there are chances of rain later.
PREVIEW:
(Our reporter Shayan Acharya pens down what you could expect from this second Test.)
The weather forecast for the next few days is not too bright – with thunderstorms and rain predicted – as India squares off against South Africa in the second Test, starting here from Thursday.
The Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) officials, however, are confident that the facilities at the Gahunje Stadium, which has a sand-based outfield and good drainage facility, will pass the rain test.
With the region witnessing heavy downpour over the past fortnight, it remains to be seen how the wicket will behave and whether the game will last the entire duration of five days. In the last Test match, played here in 2017, Australia managed to spin out India inside three days. The strip, eventually, was given a ‘very poor’ rating by the International Cricket Council.
Veteran curator Pandurang Salgaocar — who was dragged into a sting operation in 2017 and was eventually suspended for a while — is back to take care of the wicket and the BCCI have tried their best to ease concerns about the pitch.
But keeping the rain factor and history in mind, both the teams look apprehensive when it comes to picking the right combination .
Strong batting
While India captain Virat Kohli insisted that a decision on the final eleven will be taken on the match day morning, he did not rule out the fact that the moisture in the pitch could give some encouragement to the pacers.
“If there’s a bit of moisture that’s gone into the pitch, yeah it should be a good pitch to play on for seamers initially, and ball does tend to turn here and batsmen for first two days tend to get runs here with quick outfield,” Kohli said on the eve of the fixture. “We will have to play good cricket regardless of how the pitch plays,” he added.
After a one-sided 203-run win over South Africa in the first Test, the host is certainly high on confidence.
With Rohit Sharma in perfect zone after striking twin tons in his first Test as an opener and Mayank Agarwal helping himself to a double century, the batting department appears strong. The Indian team management would be hoping for the two to come good again.
At home conditions, India, under the leadership of Kohli, has delivered top-notch shows in the recent past. With the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara and Hanuma Vihari in its ranks, India does have a heavy duty batting line up to take care of things, even in tougher situations.
Bowling combination
However, for India, the biggest challenge will be be to pick the right bowling combination in a rather tricky track. It managed to seal the game in Visakhapatnam, courtesy its two spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, and seamer Mohammed Shami.
But with the unpredictable Gahunje surface, captain Kohli has to take a smart call in a bid to extend the team’s cent per cent winning record in the ICC World Test Championship.
South Africa, on the other hand, has plenty to ponder. Despite Dean Elgar showing resilience in the first Test, the Proteas failed to make an impact on the last day and eventually surrendered meekly.
The biggest problem for the touring side has been its bowling. With Kagiso Rabada and Vernon Philander failing to make an impact, the Proteas has not been able to throw any challenge to India’s top-order. Even though spinner Keshav Maharaj grabbed five wickets, it was not enough to put brakes on India’s innings.
So, when the young side takes the field in Pune, it will be a challenge for skipper Faf du Plessis to inspire the team and shrug off the disappointments from the first Test.
Where to watch?
You can watch the match on Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 HD in English commentary and Star Sports 3 and Star Sports 3 HD in Hindi commentary. You can also watch the live streaming on Hotstar .
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