In conditions which aided fast bowlers, Indian cricket team batters were put to test by South Africa on the first day of the first test in Centurion on Tuesday. Kagiso Rabada took a five wicket haul as star Indian batters Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma could not convert their starts. However, KL Rahul played solid innings and stitched stands with Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. He even scored a half-century and helped India go past 200.
There was one moment in the game where it seem like South Africa left-arm pacer Marco Jansen looked agitated and said something in KL Rahul’s direction. The Indian batter did nothing but smile.
— Shivani Shukla (@iShivani_Shukla) December 26, 2023
South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada’s five-wicket haul has put India on the backfoot on Day 1 of the first Test of the two-match series at the Centurion on Tuesday. At the end of the second session, India posted a total of 176/7 with KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah unbeaten with scores of 39(71)* and 0(9)* respectively.
Four wickets fell in the second session and all of them belonged to Rabada. His pace left India’s batters without any answers as the pacer thrived on a surface that provided extra bounce.
He shifted the tides in the favour of the Proteas by dismissing set batter Shreyas Iyer for 31 after lunch.
Three overs later he dismissed Virat Kohli for 38 with a lovely outswinging delivery. Ravichandran Ashwin lost his wicket with a fierce yet accurate bouncer.
He struck Shardul Thakur on his arm and on the next ball removed him from the crease for a score of 24.
KL Rahul on the other hand, showed aggression in his shots but kept his temperament as well. Before the session was called off, he got struck below his chin and received on-field treatment for it as well.
Earlier in the session, after winning the toss, the hosts sent India to bat first. However, the Proteas won’t regret their decision, as they successfully dominated the first session in Centurion.
Yashasvi Jaiswal (17 runs from 37 balls) and Rohit Sharma (5 runs from 14) opened for the visitors but both of them failed to make a mark and collapsed in front of the Proteas pacers.
One of the main disappointments in the first session was Shubman Gill‘s (2 runs from 12 balls) sloppy performance. After early upsets, the visitors rely on Kohli (33 runs from 47 balls) and Iyer (31 runs from 46 balls) to make a solid partnership and sit in the driver’s seat after the end of day one.
On the other hand, Nandre Burger led the South African bowling attack after he picked up two wickets in his five-over spell and gave away 23 runs. Meanwhile, Kagiso Rabada scalped one wicket and gifted 15 runs.
Brief Score: India 176/7 (KL Rahul 39*, Virat Kohli 38; Kagiso Rabada 5-41) vs South Africa.
With ANI inputs
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