IND vs SA: Pujara-Rahane aggression, Elgar’s doggedness leaves 2nd Test in the balance

South Africa moved to within 122 runs of a series-levelling win at stumps on Day 3 but India’s bowlers will still fancy their chances on a spicy pitch at The Wanderers

On a treacherous Wanderers pitch that is ironically also getting better for batting, India and South Africa are locked in an intense battle for the second Test that will possibly go to the wire. Still needing 122 runs to win and level the series, South Africa will be comforted by the fact that captain Dean Elgar has survived a barrage of bouncers to hold one end up. India, on the other hand, know they still have a decent chance of pulling off a win if the fast bowlers have a breakout morning session like their opponents had on Wednesday.

Dean Elgar reacts after being hit by the ball on the helmet grill off the bowling of Jasprit Bumrah (REUTERS)

It was a day of inspiring subplots, of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane reviving their career with a 111-run stand, of Kagiso Rabada ripping the heart out of India’s batting in the space of four overs and Shardul Thakur scoring at more than run a ball to again justify the #LordShardul memes. Add to this Jasprit Bumrah’s fiery exchange with Marco Jansen and Elgar not even grimacing despite taking a nasty Bumrah bouncer on his face and this match gave us every thrill of Test cricket within three sessions.

The two wickets that India took were the result of perseverance—Thakur continuing to probe the off-stump corridor with the scrambled seam and Ravichandran Ashwin finally getting into groove. Aiden Markram almost lost his wicket a couple of times before Thakur finally trapped him leg before. First ball of his over drew a huge appeal after Thakur got the ball to jag back and hit Markram on the front pad. The appeal was turned down but captain KL Rahul decided against referring it because he correctly thought height was a problem.

Next ball, another appeal but this time the ball was heading down leg. Markram was rooted to his crease, playing and missing a wider delivery next up before Thakur got him with a ball that hit back of a length and moved in to hit low on his back pad. Markram, who was batting well out of his crease by then, couldn’t bring his bat down on the ball. Ashwin pegged back Petersen with a length delivery pitching outside off and turning so sharply that he missed his flick and was struck in front of middle and leg. Elgar didn’t advise Petersen to go upstairs.

Elgar stepped in again after that, taking blows on his body while slowly steering his team to safer ground, leaving India jittery.

That it would be a day of uncertainties was apparent from the way Pujara and Rahane came out swinging their bats as South Africa pacers struggled to find their lengths. The first 12 overs were milked for 63 runs as India raced past the 100-run lead. Pujara picked up from where he had left on Day 3, glancing Lungisani Ngidi for four before driving him through mid-on for another. Both Rahane and Pujara were at ease as they reached their fifties and their 100-run partnership.

The second hour of the morning was when it started to come apart. Rahane was hurried by a short of length delivery from Rabada, feathering it to the wicketkeeper. Pujara survived a leg-before review off Duanne Olivier but Rabada pinned him the next time with a fuller, in-dipping delivery that beat his forward defence. Rishabh Pant survived two balls before falling to a wild heave. Ashwin brought back some sanity to the batting with a quick 16 before Ngidi got him to nick a length ball down the leg. Enter Thakur and the complexion of the match suddenly changed as he hit five boundaries and a huge six with a top edge off Jansen to guide India’s lead past 200. With an unbeaten 40, Hanuma Vihari did his bit—defending when needed and letting loose when wickets were falling at the other end.

Here’s where it could all go wrong though. The highest successful run chase at Wanderers is 310/8 by Australia in 2011. South Africa’s target is 240. There are two days left in the game, and more importantly Elgar is still standing. If there is anyone who knows how to utilise time and wear down bowlers on a pitch that has a mind of its own, it’s Elgar. When you look back at India’s second innings, no one looked to play that hand, not even Pujara after he had made his statement.

WATCH | Jasprit Bumrah, Marco Jansen engage in ugly spat, umpire rushes to intervene mid-pitch confrontation

India were 155/2 at one point. To lose eight wickets for 111 runs from there—there was no hurry to set a target—is almost reckless. With Rahane and Pujara setting the tone for the day, India should have consolidated and slowed down the game. Pant possibly had something else on his mind when he charged down the pitch to hoick Rabada over extra cover. All he managed was a thick edge to the wicketkeeper.

Like the across-the-line whack where his bottom hand comes off, Pant has the tendency to play this shot when looking to break free. He has tried it more successfully on home pitches but away from it, this has fetched nothing but failure. And lunch was not far away. Despite the breakthrough, South Africa were very much on the back foot. It isn’t as if Pant hasn’t played a patient knock before. Go back a year and Brisbane and Sydney are proof that Pant almost always wins a match if he bats longer. Having set the precedent it’s inexcusable to throw away a wicket like that. Aggression works at times, but controlled aggression has a better chance almost every time.