Kagiso Rabada claimed his 14th five-wicket haul to reduce India to 208 for eight in their first innings after being asked to bat first on the first day of the opening test match against South Africa at Supersport Park in Centurion on Tuesday.
Rain and bad light brought the day to a premature close after just 59 overs with the excellent KL Rahul holding the innings together with an unbeaten 70 from 105 balls in the company of Mohammad Siraj, who has yet to score.
Rabada delivered a brilliant analysis of 17-3-44-5 while debutant Nandre Burger claimed 2-50 in 15 overs as the tourists struggled to cope with a pitch offering generous and sometimes unpredictable movement to the quicker bowlers.
A low-scoring contest unlikely to last five days seems certain unless the weather claims significant time over the next three days. The pitch will only become more challenging for the batsmen and India’s total might prove to be far more competitive than it appears.
𝗔𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗕𝗢𝗫𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗠𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗬 🏏
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) December 26, 2023
A standing ovation for an incredible South African cricketer 👏#WozaNawe #BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/J4ywFabqxe
An early double strike from Burger and a wicket from veteran Rabada reduced India to 24 for three inside the first hour before Virat Kohli (38) and Shreyas Iyer (31), both dropped on four, fought back with a fourth innings stand of 68 to take the innings to 91 for three at lunch.
KL Rahul 🤝 Boxing Day 🤝 Centurion pic.twitter.com/oJu5KxqBWd
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) December 26, 2023
Indian captain Rohit Sharma (5) began the early slide, having been asked to bat first when he miscued a pull shot against Rabada to fine leg where Burger judged the catch perfectly.
Fellow opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (17) was tempted into a booming drive against a full delivery from left armer Burger which swung away late to find the outside edge and provide Verreynne with a straightforward catch.
A rapid delivery from Burger (11-3-38-2) bounced steeply towards the ribs of Shubman Gill (2) who managed only to glove it down the legside to give Verreynne another simple catch and leave the innings stuttering in just the 12th over.
This is Kagiso Rabada's maiden Test five-for against India 🖐️
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) December 26, 2023
He had 44 wickets in 12 Tests vs India before today #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/KWdMgT6EGn
Iyer, on four, sliced a drive against Rabada to backward point when Marco Jansen spilled a simple, head-high catch and just four runs later Kohli, also on four, chipped Burger to square leg where Tony de Zorzi dropped another straightforward chance.
But Rabada grabbed three quick wickets immediately after lunch and another shortly before tea to leave India struggling on 176 for seven at the second break. South Africa’s spearhead bowled Iyer (31) with a nip-backer in the first over after the resumption and had Kohli caught with an even better away-swinger which found a faint outside edge to give Verreynne his third catch of the innings.
Ravichandran Ashwin (8) struck a couple of defiant boundaries before an effort ball bounced steeply to catch the shoulder of the bat, allowing substitute fielder Wiaan Mulder to hold a high catch at second slip.
Shardul Thakur offered a brave 24 to add 43 with KL Rahul until he was unsettled by a Rabada bouncer which bruised his upper arm and immediately slapped the next ball to stand-in captain, Dean Elgar, at mid-off.
Perhaps the worst news of the day for the home side came in the 20th over when captain, Temba Bavuma, hobbled off the field with a hamstring strain after chasing a drive to long off. Bavuma has played no competitive cricket for six weeks before the test match since South Africa’s World Cup campaign.
Apart from Burger, the home side have also given a debut to batsman David Bedingham and omitted spinner Keshav Maharaj in favour of an all-seam attack.
India have also given a debut to right-arm seamer, Prasidh Krishna, in place of the injured Mohammad Shami.
The two-test series has been billed as the ‘Final Frontier’ for India which has won at least one series in every other test-playing nation other than South Africa, including their last two visits to Australia.
SOUTH AFRICA: Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma (captain), Keegan Petersen, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wkt), Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burger
INDIA: Rohit Sharma (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wkt), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna Neil Manthorp