India vs South Africa, 1st Test, Day 2 Cricket Match Highlights: Bad light forces early stumps on Day 2, South Africa 256/5, lead India by 11 runs
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  • India vs South Africa, 1st Test, Day 2 Cricket Match Highlights: Bad light forces early stumps on Day 2, South Africa 256/5, lead India by 11 runs
THE TIMES OF INDIA | Dec 28, 2023, 12:25:16 IST
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India vs South Africa, 1st Test, Day 2 Cricket Match Highlights: Bad light forces early stumps on Day 2, South Africa 256/5, lead India by 11 runs

IND vs SA 1st Test Highlights: An unbeaten century from veteran Dean Elgar and fifty on debut from David Bedingham allowed South Africa to take an 11-run lead with five wickets in hand over India when bad light ended play on the second day of the first Test at Centurion on Wednesday.

The 36-year-old Elgar is retiring from international cricket after the two-Test series but played one of the best innings of his long career as he scored an emotive 140 not out to help the hosts to 256-5 in reply to India’s first innings total of 245.

He will resume on Thursday with Marcio Jansen, who has three, with South Africa seeking to build a substantive lead.

Elgar, who took over the captaincy after Temba Bavuma pulled his hamstring fielding on Tuesday, played some unusually flamboyant front foot strokes in a chanceless innings against a fearsome attack on a track set up for the seamers.

He scored a 14th Test century but his first at Centurion, which is his home ground.

Elgar brought up his ton in 140 balls and featured in two important partnerships -- first 93 runs for the second wicket with Tony de Zorzi, which set a good foundation, and then 131 with Bedingham for the fourth wicket.

The 29-year-old Bedingham looked assured and confident on debut as he scored 56 before being bowled by Mohammed Siraj, who finished the day with figures of 2-63.

Jasprit Bumrah also took two wickets, squaring up De Zorzi (28) and forcing a thick edge to third slip and then bowling Keegan Petersen for two.

Siraj had taken the first wicket of the innings when Aiden Markram went cheaply for five in the fourth over of South Africa’s knock.

Earlier, KL Rahul completed his century before India were dismissed for 245 in their first innings, moving on from 208-8 overnight with play commencing 25 minutes late because of light drizzle.

Rahul, who was 70 not out at the start, went to an eighth Test ton in spectacular fashion, hammering a six into the crowd as the tourists added 37 runs to their first day score before being bowled out.

He had provided stout resistance on the opening day on Tuesday as South Africa threatened to dismiss India cheaply but were let down by spilt catches and inconsistent bowling.

Rahul came out again on Wednesday with the same aggressive intent and put away the bad balls to reach his century before being the last man dismissed as Nandre Burger bowled him for 101 off 137 balls.

Burger finished with 3-50 on his debut with Kagiso Rabada the pick of the home bowlers with 5-59.
19:59 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA: Rain! Rain!
Rain has arrived. Covers are on. Pitch and some area of the square region are under covers now.
19:50 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA Live: Umpires chat with groundsmen
The umpires remain on the field, assessing the situation, in hopes that the light will improve, allowing for more play today. With the rain subsided, the groundsmen are ready to cover the square pending instructions. Currently, the on-field umpires, the fourth umpire, and the head groundsman are in discussion. The sky looms dark despite the lights being on.
19:45 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA: Rain, bad light halt play
Light rain and bad light force players leave the field. Still 31 overs left in the day. IND 208/8 vs SA. KL Rahul and Siraj are walking back. SA players are waiting at the boundary ropes.
19:37 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA Live: 200 comes up!
200 comes up for India! Short from Coetzee and KL pull this deep mid wicket. What a knock by KL today. Superb show by hi,. He moves to 63 now.
19:36 (IST) Dec 26
India vs South Africa: Glorious shot from KL
FOUR! KL Rahul plays this inside out off Gerald Coetzee. A couple of bounces and the ball hits the fence.
19:35 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA Live: Floodlights on
The floodlights are on. Wind is picking up too. Are we going to witness a rain break here?
19:23 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA: Wicket for Jansen
WICKET! Finally a wicket for Marco Jansen. The South African pacer castles Jasprit Bumrah for 1. India are eight down now. KL needs to shift gears now. He needs to get some valuable runs for his team.

India vs South Africa Live Score: IND 191/8 vs SA
19:11 (IST) Dec 26
India vs South Africa: FIFTY for KL
FIFTY! KL Rahul brings up his half century with a huge six off Burger. Superb shot from him. He raises his bat and celebrates his half century. Fighting knock from him. He knows that the job is not yet done.

India vs South Africa Live Score: IND 187/7 vs SA
19:09 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA Live: Boundary for KL
FOUR! KL Rahul plays this nicely towards deep mid-wicket. Nandre Burger isn't happy with this.
19:02 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA: Welcome back! Final session is underway
KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah are making their way to the middle. It's been a tough day for Team India. India will aim for some more runs in the third session. SA need three more to bowl India out. Kagiso Rabada will start the proceedings.
18:57 (IST) Dec 26
India vs South Africa: Rabada snares five wickets to reduce India to 176/7 at tea
India vs South Africa: Rabada snares five wickets to reduce India to 176/7 at tea

Kagiso Rabada derailed India in the second session with four wickets as South Africa reduced the visitors to 176 for seven at tea on the opening day of the first Test on Tuesday.

Rabada (5/41) picked up the wickets of Shreyas Iyer (31), Virat Kohli (38), Ravichandran Ashwin (8) and Shardul Thakur (24) in the post-lunch period that witnessed 50 overs being completed.

KL Rahul (39 not out) and Thakur shared 43 runs for the seventh wicket.

Earlier, India had reached 91 for three against South Africa at lunch.

Invited to bat, India were in a spot of bother at 24 for three Kohli and Iyer rode on luck to stabilise the visitors' innings with unbeaten 67 runs for the fourth wicket but could add just one after the break as Rabada came to the party.

Left-arm pacer Nandre Burger (2/39), who made his Test debut, also looked dangerous.

The toss was delayed due to wet patches on the outfield.

India handed Test debut to pacer Prasidh Krishna while all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was unavailable for the series-opener due to back spasm.

India are aiming for their maiden Test series win in South Africa.

18:42 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA: That's TEA on Day 1
India 176/7 at tea on Day 1 against South Africa in Centurion. (KL Rahul 39*; Kagiso Rabada 5/41)
18:39 (IST) Dec 26
India vs South Africa: Sixth boundary for KL
FOUR! KL Rahul goes on backfoot and smashes Rabada towards deep backward point fence.
18:27 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA: STAT ATTACK - High fives for Rabada
IND vs SA: STAT ATTACK - High fives for Rabada

Maiden five-wicket haul for Kagiso Rabada against India. Rabada (178*) goes past Allan Donald's tally of 177 wickets in South Africa in six fewer Tests.

18:23 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA: Shardul falls
WICKET! Kagiso Rabada ends Shardul Thakur's stay at 24. Five-wicket haul for Rabada. This is his 14th five-wicket haul in Tests. Incredible moment for him. India are 7 down now. Jasprit Bumrah joins KL Rahul in the middle.

India vs South Africa Live Score: IND 164/7 vs SA
18:21 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA Live: Shardul is hurt
Rabada to Thakur. The ball hits his right bicep this time. He is in pain. Physio is out in the middle. The physio has wrapped a bandage around Shardul's bicep.
18:10 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA: What a shot!
SIX! What a shot from KL Rahul. He stands tall and whacks the ball over deep extra cover region. He is using his white ball experience here.

India vs South Africa Live Score: IND 163/6 vs SA
18:02 (IST) Dec 26
India vs South Africa: Concussion check
Short from Gerald Coetzee. Shardul Thakur goes for a pull shot. And the ball hits his helmet. He seems fine. There will be a concussion check. Physio is out to check on Shardul. There is a swelling on Shardul's forehead. Physio is rubbing the swollen part.
17:54 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA: Third boundary for Shardul
FOUR! Shardul Thakur sends Gerald Coetzee for a boundary. This is his third boundary. KL and Shardul are slowly forming a stand here.
17:46 (IST) Dec 26
India have been unsuccessful in conquering the South African stronghold on their home turf in the previous eight series, managing to secure victories in only four out of the 23 Test matches contested between the two teams.

But former India head coach Ravi Shastri said the current series presents India with the best chance to win the first ever Test series in South Africa. And the reason is not slightly inexperienced Proteas side but not having Vernon Philander in the team.
17:40 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA Live: Aggressive shot
FOUR! Short from Jansen this time. KL Rahul slaps this towards deep mid wicket fence. Aggressive shot from the right hander.

India vs South Africa Live Score: IND 143/6 vs SA
17:39 (IST) Dec 26
India vs South Africa: KL hits Jansen
FOUR! Jansen to KL. The right hander leans forward and guides the ball towards deep backward point fence.
17:35 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA Live: Thakur hits a boundary
FOUR! Too full from Rabada. Shardul comes a bit forward and drives this through mid-off for a four. Excellent stuff from him.
17:21 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA: Rabada removes Ashwin
WICKET! Rabada is on fire. He takes his fourth wicket. Ashwin falls for 8.Unplayable delivery from Rabada. Extra bounce too. Ashwin tries to defend. The ball hits his glove and hand too. Wiaan Mulder (sub) takes a superb catch at third slip. Ashwin is dejected and walking back.

India vs South Africa Live Score: IND 121/6 vs SA
17:20 (IST) Dec 26
India vs South Africa: Gorgeous cover drive from KL
FOUR! Gorgeous cover drive from KL Rahul. Fullish and outside off from Burger. KL seems waiting for this. He leans forward and times this so well and drives this through covers.
17:18 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA Live: Two boundaries for Ashwin
FOUR! Short of length outside off from Rabada. Ashwin punches this through cover. Chance for South Africa. But the ball hits the fence. Second boundary for Ashwin in this over.
17:09 (IST) Dec 26
India vs South Africa Live: Kohli falls
WICKET! Rabada removes Virat. huge wicket for SA at the moment. Rabada is celebrating. He knows he has got the big man. A peach of a delivery and Virat edges this behind the wicket. Keeper Verreynne takes a simple catch. Virat isn't happy with this.

India vs South Africa Live Score: IND 107/5 vs SA
17:00 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA Live: Pull from Rahul
FOUR! Short from Kagiso Rabada. KL Rahul pulls this towards backward square leg for a boundary. Superb shot from the right hander.

India vs South Africa Live Score: IND 107/4 vs SA
16:57 (IST) Dec 26
India vs South Africa: Glorious from Virat
FOUR! What a shot from Virat. The right hander his this wide of backward point. 'What a drive' - Gavaskar says from the commentary box.

India vs South Africa Live Score: IND 102/4 vs SA
16:51 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA Live: KL comes to the crease
KL Rahul is the new batter at the crease. KL has been in ominous touch and India will need another god partnership here. KL's Test average is 33.44.
16:46 (IST) Dec 26
India vs South Africa: Rabada removes Iyer
WICKET! Kagiso Rabada castles Shreyas Iyer for 31. The South Africa strikes just after lunch. This is the first over after lunch and Rabada does the job for his team. He breaks this solid stand. Iyer isn't happy at all. He shakes his head in disappointment and walking back.

India vs South Africa Live Score: IND 92/4 vs SA
16:40 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA Live: Welcome back! Second session is underway
Welcome back! Virat Kohli and Shreyas are making their way to the middle. Kagiso Rabada will start the proceedings. The post lunch session is underway.
16:12 (IST) Dec 26
India vs South Africa: LUNCH REPORT
India vs South Africa: LUNCH REPORT

India reached 91 for three against South Africa at lunch on the first day of the opening Test of the two-match series on Tuesday.

Invited to bat, India were in a spot of bother at 24 for three before Virat Kohli (33 not out) and Shreyas Iyer (31 not out) rode on luck to stabilise the visitors' innings with unbeaten 67 runs for the fourth wicket.

Left-arm pacer Nandre Burger (2/23), who made his Test debut, looked dangerous while Kagiso Rabada (1/15) picked up the other wicket as South Africa managed 26 overs in the first session.

Earlier, the toss was delayed due to wet patches on the outfield.

India handed Test debut to pacer Prasidh Krishna while all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was unavailable for the series-opener due to back spasm.

India are aiming for their maiden Test series win in South Africa.

16:00 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA: That's LUNCH on Day 1
India 91/3 at lunch on Day 1 against South Africa in Centurion. (Kohli 33*, Iyer 31*; Burger 2/23)
15:59 (IST) Dec 26
India vs South Africa: First SIX of the match
SIX! A full, quick delivery down the leg. Shreyas Iyer flicks this nicely over deep backward square leg fence. What a shot from the right hander. Virat has a smile on his face.

India vs South Africa Live Score: IND 88/3 vs SA
15:51 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA Live: 50-run stand
Huge moment for India. 50-run stand comes up between Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer. They both are taking India innings forward after early jolts. India need a big big stand between the two batters.

India vs South Africa Live Score: IND 79/3 vs SA
15:43 (IST) Dec 26
India vs South Africa: Beautifully played
FOUR! Marco Jansen to Virat Kohli. The Indian batting maestro stands tall and drives this beautifully straight down the ground for a boundary. Six runs off Jansen's over.

India vs South Africa Live Score: IND 72/3 vs SA
15:34 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA Live: End of 20 overs
Virat Kohli (19*) and Shreyas Iyer (15*) have lived a charmed life, but are slowly taking India out of troubled waters. Still early days in recovery, but the duo looks much more confident after each of them was dropped once. India vs South Africa Live Score: India 60/3 in 20 overs.
15:18 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA Live: Kohli looking good, fifty up for India
India's fifty comes up off a flick from Kohli's (15*) bat off Burger, and the ball went for a boundary to bring up India's fifty in 15.5 overs. Shreyas Iyer batting on 9.
15:11 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA Live: Dropped! Virat Kohli is lucky
Burger should have had his third wicket in the form of Kohli (4*) who went for a flick but couldn't keep the ball down. Tony de Zorzi had it in sight, got both hands to it while diring to his left, but the ball popped out.
15:02 (IST) Dec 26
India vs South Africa: Wicket and a dropped chance!
Burger continues to make batsmen play, and Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli are up to the task with a glance and a flick respectively that raced to the boundary. And after that action, Iyer was dropped by Jansen at point and the ball went through his hands for a four. India vs South Afrive Live Score: India 38/3 in 13 overs.
14:54 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA Live: Bavuma asks for a DRS against Gill, and it's OUT!
Bowled on leg-stump, Burger gets one to kick up and Gill, trying to glance it, gets a glove before it is caught by wicketkeeper Verreynne. India in trouble at 24/3 in 11.1 overs.
14:44 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA Live: OUT! Debutant Burger strikes!
Yashasvi Jaiswal (17), who was looking good until now, gets sucked into a full-length delivery from Nandre Burger and edges it straight to the wicketkeeper. India lose second wicket. Virat Kohli walks in to join Gill (1*). India vs South Africa Live Score: India 23/2 in 9.4 overs.
14:34 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA Live: Fourth boundary for Yashasvi
Banged in short, Yashasvi gets up on his toes and square-cuts debutant Burger for his 4th four, which takes him to 16 not out. India vs South Africa Live Score:India 21/1 in 7.3 overs.
14:23 (IST) Dec 26
India vs South Africa: Wicket! Rohit departs!
Kagiso Rabada had dismissed Rohit Sharma five times in nine innings before today, and he gets the India captain for the sixth time, caught at deep fine-leg. Rohit out for 5. So the SA pacer once again gets Rohit's number. Meanwhile, Yashasvi Jaiswal is looking confident, having hit two fours for his 8* off 16 balls. Shubman Gill walks in. India vs South Africa Live Score: India 13/1 in five overs.
14:14 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA Live: First boundary for Rohit
After Marco Jansen delivered a one-run over, Rabada comes back to bowl and is hit square of the wicket by Rohit Sharma (5*), who gets his first boundary. India vs South Africa Live Score: India 9/0 in 3 overs.
14:07 (IST) Dec 26
India vs South Africa: India get off the mark
After five leaves, Yashasvi gets one full and close to his legs from Rabada and he tucks it to square leg for a boundary. India are off the mark, so is Yashasvi. India vs South Africa Live Score: India 4/0 in 1 over.
14:02 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA Live: Indian openers are out in the middle
Skipper Rohit Sharma and youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal are out, with Jaiswal taking his guard to take the first strike. Kagiso Rabada to run in with the new ball.
13:59 (IST) Dec 26

I was not too sure (whether to bat or bowl first). We are quite aware of the conditions, we have been here a few times. We need to put runs on the board and the bowlers will do the job for us. We do understand the challenge of batting first with the overhead conditions and the grass, but the guys are up for the challenge. Everytime we come here, we come with high hopes. We've come close on the last two tours. We are pretty confident with our squad and the make-up of our squad. We are playing with four seamers and a spinner. Ashwin is playing in place of Jadeja. Jaddu had a bit of a back spasm, so Ashwin comes in and he is a quality spinner to have. Prasidh is making his debut, along with the other pacers Shardul, Siraj and Bumrah.

India captain Rohit Sharma at the toss

13:57 (IST) Dec 26
IND vs SA Live: South Africa Playing XI
South Africa: Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma (c), Keegan Petersen, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burger
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