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Cricket PlayersIndia vs South Africa 1st Test Day 3, Highlights: As it happened
India vs South Africa, 1st Test Day 3: South Africa reach 385/8, trailing India by 117 runs on Day 3. R Ashwin completed his fifer with Vernon Philander chopping on to the stumps. Earlier, Quinton de Kock was cleaned up by Ashwin for 111.Dean Elgar was caught by Cheteshwar Pujara for 160 as Ravindra Jadeja got another wicket. This was Jadeja’s 200th wicket. South Africa are eight wickets down.South Africa got off to a good start on Day 3 with Elgar and Temba Bavuma carrying on from where they had left off. Ishant Sharma provided the breakthrough, dismissing Bavuma for 18. R Ashwin broke the 115-run stand between Faf du Plessis and Elgar. Earlier, on Day 2, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin gave a hard time to South Africa in the final few as Proteas’ top order collapsed against the spin attack. India had scored 502/7 with KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma scoring tons each.
17:00 hrs IST
STUMPS
South Africa reach 385/8, trailing India by 117 runs on Day 3. This was a good day for both the teams, where South Africa dominated the first two sessions, but India fought back in the final session. Exciting fourth day in store for cricketing fans.
16:45 hrs IST
GONE!
Ashwin strikes! Vernon Philander tries to hit a wider delivery inside out, gets an edge and knocks down his own stumps. SA 376/8
16:40 hrs IST
Ishant injured
Ishant Sharma has fallen down while fielding and he appears to be injured. He has gone down and seems to be injured. No updates on how serious it is as of yet.
16:30 hrs IST
GONE!
R Ashwin has cleaned up Quinton de Kock for 111. BIG WICKET! South Africa are seven wickets down for 370 and now India have a chance of getting things wrapped up before stumps today.
16:26 hrs IST
India review
India seem to be desperate for a wicket as they go for a review on a LBW appeal on Muthusamy. The ball was clearly going down the leg side and India wasted a review after being prompted by Wriddhiman Saha.
16:10 hrs IST
HUNDRED!
SIX! Quinton de Kock brings up his century in style, just like Elgar, with a six. The ball has travelled the distance. It takes de Kock just 149 balls to reach the mark.
16:00 hrs IST
Will India review?
Ashwin managed to beat Muthusamy as the ball hit his pad and was caught. But the ball had not touched the bat. Kohli did not take review, rightly.
15:49 hrs IST
GONE!
Ravindra Jadeja gets the wicket of Dean Elgar - FINALLY! The batsman tried to slog sweep a slow one, but mistimed it. He knew it immediately. Pujara caught it at mid-on. Elgar departs for 160. SA 342/6
15:44 hrs IST
BOUNDARY!
Another opportunity for India to get the dismissal of Quinton de Kock and now it has gone. The ball bobbed into the air after a soft nick from the batsman but landed right in front of Saha. Three balls later, Elgar gets another boundary away.
15:37 hrs IST
CHANCE!
Quinton de Kock slices a wide one from Ravindra Jadeja, and it gets the bottom edge, only to fall short of Ajinkya Rahane at second slips. South Africa keep giving half chances and India are missing all of them at the moment.
15:21 hrs IST
150 up for Elgar
Dean Elgar has now reached 150-run mark and this is a sensational innings for him. He celebrates it with Quinton de Kock, knowing fully well that the match has completely tilted now.
15:17 hrs IST
CHANCE!
Elgar edged the ball, but there was no fielder at slip. This could have been easily taken, but now it has gone for a boundary. Perhaps, Kohli has missed a trick here.
15:00 hrs IST
Back with live action
The Indian fielders are out there. Dean Elgar and Quinton de Kock too make their way into the centre. Exciting session in front of us. South Africa closing in on 300 and India have the second new ball to their aid. One gets the feeling, this session could very well decide the course of this Test match.
14:40 hrs IST
TEA
Another great session for South Africa. The Proteas reach 292/5 at Tea, trailing India by 210 runs. Quinton de Kock (69*) and Dean Elgar (133*) are in the middle and will resume the innings for the final session.
14:24 hrs IST
FIFTY!
Quinton de Kock brings up his half century. He is really enjoying this tour in India - it is his favourite destination and here’s why.South Africa are in control.
14:17 hrs IST
Ashwin into the attack
Ashwin has come into the attack. It was a good day for him yesterday, but he has struggled today so far. He will hope to get another breakthrough before Tea.
14:05 hrs IST
250 up for South Africa
Middle of the bat from Dean Elgar and he has middled it. The ball races to the boundary ropes. It brings up 250 for South Africa.
14:00 hrs IST
Shami into attack
Mohammed Shami is into the attack. It has not been his day so far, and he would be desperate to get a wicket and break this partnership.
13:45 hrs IST
Darkness ascending?
There seems to be a sudden darkness in Visakhapatnam, with the sun moving away. Meanwhile, the resistance from Proteas continue.
13:33 hrs IST
India missing Bumrah?
India are clearly missing Jasprit Bumrah at the moment, with neither Ishant, nor Mohammed Shami being too successful with the ball. Only one wicket between the two at the moment. SA 232/5
13:23 hrs IST
Another good partnership
Another solid partnership is building between Dean Elgar and Quinton de Kock. This is a good fightback from the experienced South African players, and this is exactly what the doctor ordered.
13:09 hrs IST
200 up for South Africa
Dean Elgar and Quinton de Kock are in the middle at the moment and the duo take South Africa’s total past 200-run mark.
13:02 hrs IST
STATS
Elgar’s hundred
A Test ton after 17 Test innings, he scored 141* vs AUS at Cape Town in 2018
12th Test ton for Elgar
1st vs IND and in IND as well.
6th SA opener to score a Test in IND
Last SA opener to score AN Petersen-100 and H Amla was the last SA batsman to score a Test ton in IND, both smashed their tons on 14th Feb 2010
After 3519 days a SA player has scored a ton in IND.
12:52 hrs IST
HUNDRED!
SIX! Dean Elgar brings up his hundred in style! He hits R Ashwin for a six at long-on. He celebrates the occasion and even gets an applause on the shot from Ashwin. SA 193/5
12:43 hrs IST
GOT HIM!
GONE! BIG BIG WICKET. Faf du Plessis has lost his concentration and R Ashwin bags the big wicket of Proteas captain. Brilliant delivery, and du Plessis flicks it to Pujara at backward short leg. He departs for 55. SA 178/4
12:38 hrs IST
GLORIOUS!
Gorgeous shot from Dean Elgar. Shami pitched it on leg stump, and Elgar just flicked it with an accurate wrist movement for a boundary towards mid-on. He moves nervously close to the nervous 90s.
12:24 hrs IST
FIFTY!
Skipper Faf du Plessis brings up his half century - his 20th in Test cricket. This is a partnership that has completely changed the match.
12:15 hrs IST
Back into action
Mohammed Shami starts the attack for India after Lunch. Dean Elgar and Faf du Plessis resume the innings. SA 155/4
11:35 hrs IST
LUNCH
LUNCH ON DAY 3! South Africa reach 153/4 at the end of the first session. Elgar is batting on 76* and du Plessis is batting on 48* at the moment. SA trail by 349 runs.
11:25 hrs IST
150 up for South Africa
FOUR! Faf du Plessis hits a four and takes Proteas’ over the 150-run mark. This is brilliant batting from South Africa captain.
11:13 hrs IST
DROPPED!
Dean Elgar gets a nick and Saha has dropped a reflex catch. It was low and quick, and not an easy one to grasp. But India could have done with a bit of luck right about now.
11:03 hrs IST
SIX! FOUR! SIX!
Elgar goes big and that’s a six. This is the second time the batsman has gone after Jadeja in the last 30 minutes and he is now looking comfy in the middle. This partnership is hurting India at the moment.
Elgar follow is up with a four and a six in the same over. 16 runs from it. Expensive one for India.
10:53 hrs IST
Hanuma Vihari into the attack
Time for Ashwin to go on a break and here comes Hanuma Vihari. India have expressed a lot of faith in his bowling and if he breaks this partnership before Lunch, he will only restore the faith of the selectors in him.
10:48 hrs IST
FIFTY!
FIFTY! Dean Elgar brings up his half century, his 14th half fifty, first in India. He is leading South Africa’s resistance at the moment. SA 107/4
10:40 hrs IST
Hundred up for South Africa
FOUR! Really well played by Faf, he sweeps across right against Ashwin for a boundary. It takes South Africa over the 100-run mark.
10:30 hrs IST
On comes Jadeja
Time for spin from both ends, as Mohammed Shami has been replaced by Ravindra Jadeja. Immediately the field comes up. India looking to build pressure on South Africa with slow-arm Jadeja.
10:20 hrs IST
Proteas dealing in boundaries
Plenty of boundaries in the last few overs, three of which came from Faf du Plessis’ bat. South Africa are 83/4 at the moment. A partnership is building on here.
10:10 hrs IST
Back to back boundaries
Faf du Plessis hits R Ashwin for back to back boundaries. He has a poor record against spin bowling in India, and he is looking to get on top of things early on. This will certainly help with the nerves. SA 72/4
10:05 hrs IST
Change in attack
There is a change in attack - Ishant Sharma has been replaced by Mohammed Shami. South Africa are in dire need of a partnership here and a wicket or two here will completely put them on the backfoot.
09:54 hrs IST
GONE!
Ishant Sharma has nipped it on Temba Bavuma’s leg. The umpire was quick to raise his fingers after the massive appeal. Bavuma will not review. India get a breakthrough. SA 63/4
09:45 hrs IST
50 for South Africa
FOUR! Dean Elgar steps up and slams hard on the ball. It flies over long on for a boundary. Brings up fifty for South Africa.
09:36 hrs IST
OOOH... CLOSE!
Ashwin has come into the attack with the new ball. A low off-cutter to Dean Elgar and that was too close from the offie. Good start from Indian bowlers. Proteas are under a fair bit of pressure at the moment.
09:30 hrs IST
DAY 3 - HERE WE GO!
Temba Bavuma and Dean Elgar are out in the middle to resume South Africa’s innings. India start the attack with Ishant Sharma, right-arm fast medium. HERE WE GO!
09:25 hrs IST
Play to begin in 5 minutes
The play will begin in about five minutes. Will Kohli start the day with spinners, or will he allow the seamers to have a go for a few overs?
09:15 hrs IST
Pitch Report
“The ball will keep low as it did on the second day 2. The spinners will be able to hold their grip. There will be odd bounce on a few balls. The batting is not going to be difficult, but not going to be easy, because the batsmen needs to keep an eye on the ball all the time. You need to use their feet against the spin, show determination to bat, like Agarwal did.”
- Sunil Gavaskar gives his assessment on the Pitch report
09:12 hrs IST
Weather report
It is bright and sunny at the moment in Visakhapatnam, but there are chances of rain later in the day. For now, sunny conditions means that the surface will be good for batting, only if the Proteas are able to face the spin threat from India, though.
09:10 hrs IST
Rohit Sharma joins Rahul Dravid in illustrious list
It was an innings to behold for Rohit Sharma as he dominated proceedings in his new role as a Test opener. After slamming a century on the first day, he was at his destructive best on the second day as well as he attacked the South African bowlers in the first session. He raced away to 176 when he was stumped by Quinton de Kock off the bowling of Keshav Maharaj. In the process, he equalled former India captain and batting great Rahul Dravid’s record of most number of consecutive fifty-plus scores in Tests at home.
09:00 hrs IST
Too much spin dulls pacy Proteas in Vizag
Sometime during the post-lunch session on Day 1 of the first Test between India and South Africa, a tweet from Dale Steyn summed up the visitor’s plight. “Gotta think outside the box here,” the pace bowling great wrote on his account. Steyn’s desperation was justified as Rohit Sharma had by then scored his maiden Test ton as opener, while at the other end Mayank Agarwal was steadily progressing towards reaching the three-figure mark himself. The South African bowling threat had clearly been negated.
08:50 hrs IST
Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal achieve historic first
Mayank Agarwal and Rohit Sharma became the first opening pair in the world to score centuries against South Africa. This also became the highest opening partnership in all India-South Africa Tests surpassing 236 between Gary Kirsten and Andrew Hudson in Kolkata in 1996/97. Mayank and Rohit achieved the feat in 73rd over when India 259 for no loss.
08:40 hrs IST
Mayank Agarwal’s mantra for Test success
“Long distance running has helped me. When I was training before the season (2017-18 domestic season), my coach and I made sure we bat five-six hours. We would make sure that we would have two and half hour session, take a little break and then bat again. So it is just preparing in that manner, preparing that for long hours has helped me combined with long distance running,” said Agarwal after day two.
08:30 hrs IST
Rohit and Agarwal were too good, says Maharaj
South African spinners did not bowl badly and it was just sheer brilliance of Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal that has taken the game away from the visitors, lead Proteas tweaker Keshav Maharaj said here on Thursday. Left-arm spinner Maharaj (3/189 in 55 overs) bowled his heart out but did not get the support from the other end in Dane Piedt (107/1 in 19 overs) or debutant Senuran Muthusamy (63/1 in 15 lovers), who did take the prized wicket of Virat Kohli.
“I wouldn’t say they bowled poorly. I personally judge if someone comes down the wicket and hits you, it’s not a bad ball. If you are getting hit from the crease, if you are getting cut, then it’s a different story,” said Maharaj, after day two of the first Test.
08:20 hrs IST
Mayank Agarwal packs and moves two tons
Had Prithvi Shaw not landed awkwardly on his left ankle during that warm-up match against Cricket Australia XI, Mayank Agarwal’s wait to make his Test debut would have been even longer. Shaw’s injury induced what even becoming the only Indian to score 2000-plus runs in one domestic season couldn’t – a Test debut. Three months shy of his 28th birthday, Agarwal finally got to play for his country, in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, and he marked the occasion with 76 runs in the first innings and there has been no looking back since. Still, despite having notched three fifties in his short career, the wait for a three-figure score was starting to grow, which Agarwal ended in some style in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.
08:10 hrs IST
Hello and Welcome
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of India vs South Africa 1st Test Day 3. As the things stand at the moment, India are on the top at the moment, with Proteas looking three quick wickets in the latter part of Day 2. South Africa batsmen once again struggling against Indian spinners. If the rain plays no part in Visakhapatnam, things could end pretty quickly. I, Karan, will be guiding you to the first half of Day 3. Play to start at 0900 hrs IST.