BCCI
India's batting woes came back to haunt them on Day 3 of the first Test against South Africa at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Thursday. After posting a competitive 408 in their first innings, South Africa bundled out India for a mere 131, leaving Virat Kohli's valiant half-century as a lone star in an otherwise dark sky. Proteas men haded defeat to India by an innings and 38 runs.
🇿🇦THE PROTEAS LEAD THE FREEDOM SERIES
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) December 28, 2023
A mammoth all-round effort from the Proteas to take a 1-0 lead in the #Betway Test Series🇿🇦🇮🇳
What a victory by the boys 💪😅
The Final Frontier Continues 😎#WozaNawe #BePartOfIt #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/MFWVAgphxS
The momentum swung dramatically in the final session, with India losing seven wickets for just 49 runs. Marco Jansen struck first, removing Shreyas Iyer before Nandre Burger sent KL Rahul and Ravichandran Ashwin packing in successive deliveries. Jasprit Bumrah's unfortunate run-out and Mohammed Siraj's dismissal behind the wicket were the final nails in the coffin, crushing India's hopes of a fightback.
Earlier, India reached tea at 62/3, still 101 runs behind, with only Kohli showing any resistance. The openers, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma fell cheaply, while Shubman Gill's promising start fizzled out after scoring 26 runs.
CLASSIC VIRAT!@imVkohli brings up his 30th Test half-century in 61 balls. He has hit 8 delightful boundaries and a power-packed six!
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 28, 2023
Live - https://t.co/032B8Fmvt4 #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/fZpkgswXAD
Meanwhile, South Africa had built a formidable total on Day 3, thanks to Dean Elgar's magnificent 185 and Marco Jansen's crucial 72*. Elgar narrowly missed out on a double hundred but provided the bedrock for the Proteas' lead. The Indian bowlers struggled to contain the duo.
India's batting woes, however, proved their undoing. Despite Kohli's fighting fifty, the rest of the lineup crumbled under the pressure of chasing a mammoth total. South Africa's disciplined bowling and India's fragile batting combined to hand the Proteas a comprehensive victory, putting them 1-0 up in the series.
With the bat in tatters and morale bruised, India faces the monumental task of bouncing back in the remaining matches if they still harbour dreams of a historic Test series win in South Africa. The debutant, Nandre Burger was the pick of bowlers who scaled 4 wickets in the second innings.
India's first innings: 245 all out in 57.4 Overs (KL Rahul 101, Virat Kohli 38; Kagiso Rabada 5/59).
South Africa's first innings: 408 all out in 108.4 overs (Dean Elgar 185, Marco Jansen 84*; Jasprit Bumrah 4/69).
India's second innings: 131 all out in 34.1 Overs (Virat Kohli 76, Shubman Gill 26; Nandre Burger 4/ 33).
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