Centurion, First Published Dec 26, 2021, 8:55 PM IST
Centurion: Opener KL Rahul’s century puts India ahead in South Africa vs India 1st Test. Team India were 272-3 in the first innings when they stumped on the first day at Centurion. Senior batsman Ajinkya Rahane (122 *) is at the 40 * crease with Rahul (122 *) scoring his seventh Test century. Pacer Lungi Ngidi took all the three wickets India lost.
The coveted start
Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul gave India a promising start with skipper Virat Kohli winning the toss and choosing to bat. Mayank and Rahul easily overcame a Proteas pacer led by Kagiso Rabada to take India past the 100-run mark. But in the 41st over, Lungi Ngidi struck with a double. Mayank (60 off 123 balls) was caught in the second ball by LB while Cheteshwar Pujara (0 off 1 ball) was caught by Keegan in the next ball. Mayank and Rahul put on 117 for the opening wicket.
Engidity, Rahul Show
Virat Kohli, who joined Rahul for the third wicket, tried to help India win the toss. However, Ngidi struck the third run just before India reached the team score of 200. Collie, with 35 off 94 balls, came out on top in the first slip as an outside edge. Kohli and Rahul put on 82 runs for the third wicket. However, Rahul batted confidently and reached his seventh Test century off 218 balls. Ajinkya Rahane batted well for the fourth wicket with Rahul. The duo have already added 73 runs.
Kohli won the toss and elected to field
India captain Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat. India started with five bowlers. Four of them are pacers. Shardul Thakur joins the team for his all-round performance. Meanwhile, senior pacer Ishant Sharma missed an opportunity. The other pacers are Mohammad Shami, Jaspreet Bumra and Mohammad Siraj. R Ashwin joins the team as the lone spinner.
Golden Duck Pujara
As expected in batting, Ajinkya Rahane’s experience has benefited him. It was argued that Shreyas Iyer or Hanuma Vihari should replace the player who is in bad form. Another senior batsman Cheteshwar Pujara also retained his place in the team but failed to maintain the confidence of the captain in the first innings. Pujara became the Golden Duck. Team India is aiming to win the inaugural Test series in South Africa.
Playing XIs
Team India: KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, R Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammad Shami, Jaspreet Bumra, Mohammad Siraj.
South Africa: Dean Elgar, Aidan Markram, Keegan Peterson, Razi van der Dawson, Themba Bauma, Quinton de Kok, Vian Mulder, Marco Johnson, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.
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Last Updated Dec 26, 2021, 8:59 PM IST
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