India vs South Africa Live Cricket Score, 1st Test Day 1: Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya Strike Key Blows For India

Virat Kohli-led Team India will aim to begin their three-match Test series on a positive note when they take on the formidable South Africa at Newlands, Cape Town on Friday. This series will Test India's class and character on the harder tracks of Cape Town, Centurion and Johannesburg. The Newlands pitch at Cape Town, however, could well be a blessing in disguise for India. While it will be alien from anything they have played on for the last year or so, at least the lack of water, as has been reported in the media, has led to a little less irrigation of the square, and may well provide Virat Kohli and his boys with conditions closest to home. (Live Scorecard)

India's bowling may well depend on how the likes of Mohammad Shami, Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar do since they are carded to be the ones to make the final XI in the 1st Test. However, the onus, eventually, may still fall on Ravichandran Ashwin to deliver. Especially if India bat first. With Ravindra Jadeja on the doubtful list, Ashwin will have to handle the spin department in a series which could also well make or break for the off-spinner. The batting will also be tested, but none of them is really threatened in terms of being dropped from the team since they all seem to have Kohli's backing. Ashwin, on the other hand, may not necessarily do so.

Live updates and action between India vs South Africa, 1st Test, Day 1, straight from Cape Town

18:06 IST: Four! On the pads from Bhuvneshwar and De Kock flicks it away for a boundary. 200 also comes up for South Africa.

18:03 IST: Indian bowlers have cut down on the flow of runs. However, the hosts are trying to squeeze out opportunities to score boundaries.

17:59 IST: 50-run partnership come sup between Philander and De Kock.

17:54 IST: Four! Little bit of width from Ashwin and it almost cramped De Kock but the batsman managed to cut it for a boundary. Welcome to the crease Ashwin.

17:53 IST: Ravichandran Ashwin is introduced in the bowling attack.

17:51 IST: Four! Short and wide from Bhuvneshwar, Philander throws his bat at the ball and it takes a thick outside edge and flies over the fielders at slips.

17:50 IST: Four! Looking to go through the on-side, Philander edges the ball as it goes past the gully.

17:45 IST: Four! Half-volley from Hardik and Philander puts it away with power through covers.

17:44 IST: Four! Vernon Philander gets off the mark with a boundary through extra covers.

17:40 IST: Four! Sweet timing from De Kock as he drives Bhuvneshwar through covers effortlessly.

17:38 IST: Four! De Kock waits for the Bhuvneshwar length ball and then opens the face of the bat at the last moment to guide the ball towards the third man boundary.

17:35 IST: Indian bowlers are creating problems for the South African batsman with the pace and bounce but are failing to pick up wickets.

17:29 IST: Four! Three consecutive boundaries for De Kock off Bumrah. First one goes straight down the ground, second one goes through point and the third one is through the covers. Beautiful display of skill.

17:26 IST: OUT!! Wide outside off from Pandya, Du Plessis looking to ct, edges it back to the keeper and he receives it gracefully. The South African departs for a well made 62.

17:24 IST: Huge appeal for LBW! Length delivery from Pandya angled, du Plessis fails to defend as the ball hit him in line with the off stump. India sent this upstairs but umpire's call on wickets hitting saved du Plessis.

17:22 IST: Four!! Back-to-back boundaries for Du Plessis off Hardik. Both the boundaries were flicked beautifully through the on-side.

17:18 IST: Four and fifty!! Du Plessis reaches his 16th Test fifty. Cuts Bumrah with authority through point.

17:17 IST: After getting beaten a couple of times, de Kock gets off the mark with a flick through mid-on.

17:11 IST: Quinton de Kock is the new batsman in.

17:10 IST! GONE! Jasprit Bumrah gets his maiden Test wicket as he castles AB de Villiers for 65. Big, big wicket for the Indian side.

16:59 IST: Safe! Huge caught-behind appeal yet again from the keeper and he seems confident. India take a DRS. And Bumrah over-stepped.

16:54 IST: A huge caught behind appeal from the keeper and captain Kohli but the umpire was not interested. However, the ball went past Du Plessis' bat real close. Close shave.

16:47 IST: Four! Du Plessis dispatches the low full toss straight down the ground. Poor bowling from Hardik, second boundary of the over.

16:44 IST: Four! Du Plessis looking to drive Hardik Pandya, nicks the full ball as it flies past the man at the gully. Lucky, yet again. Also, the 100-run partnership come sup between Du Plessis and De Villiers.

16:43 IST: Bumrah gives just two runs in the first over after lunch, good start.

16:41 IST: Jasprit Bumrah begins the second session of the day and De Villiers gets two quick runs.

16:40 IST: We are back for the post-lunch session.

16:02 IST: Stay tuned for the post-lunch session. The Indian bowlers shone for the first half hour of the game after which the visitors  took the attack to the opposition and steadied the ship. It seems du Plessis and De Villiers have got comfortable in the middle. Only Bhuvneshwar was the effective bowler of the lot and no sign of Ashwin yet. What will be Kohli's game-plan for the post lunch session.

16:00 IST: South Africa 107/3 (Du Plessis 37*, De Villiers 59*; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3/39) at lunch.

15:59 IST: Four! Back of a length from Bhuvneshwar and Du Plessis cuts the ball past the fielder at point.

15:57 IST: Four! Short ball from Bhuvneshwar, De Villiers gets into his position early and pulls the ball off the front foot. 100 comes up for South Africa.

15:53 IST: Hardik Pandya has been introduced in the bowling attack.

15:52 IST: The South African side has upped their anti against the Indian bowling attack and is nearing their century.

15:47 IST: du Plessis punches Shami to extra-covers, Bhuvneshwar fails to collect and Kohli is not happy with the effort. Two runs for the Sout African captain.

15:44 IST: Four and a fifty!! AB de Villiers cuts Shami with authority to notch up his 41st Test fifty.

15:42 IST: Four! Bumrah goes wide outside off and the South African captain dispatches the ball for a boundary.

15:36 IST: Four! Shami straying on the pads, Du Plessis flicks it with authority for a boundary.

15:35 IST: South Africa 71/3 in 20 overs.

15:25 IST: Four! Over-pitched delivery from Bumrah and de Villiers crashes the ball straight down the ground. What timing and placement.

15:20 IST: De Villiers is nearing his 41st half-century.

15:17 IST: Save! Close call for Du Plessis. Shami gets a good bounce and Du Plessis, takes off his bottom hand, edges the ball to Kohli at second slip. However, the ball bounced beofre Kohli could complete the catch.

15:12 IST: Four! Back-to-back boundaries for Du Plessis off Bumrah. The first one gets dispatched through the off-side and the second one was straight down the ground.

15:10 IST: Four! Short from Shami, de Villiers gets into position early and whacks the ball over mid-wicket.

15:09 IST: Four! Back of a length delivery from Shami, de Villiers insides edges the ball past the leg-stump to collect a boundary. Lucky.

15:06 IST: Four! Short delivery from Bumrah, du Plessis pulls, the ball clips the gloves and flies past the keeper for a boundary. Lucky there.

15:00 IST: Drinks are on the ground. Indian bowlers have been completely on-mark till now as the hosts are struggling to middle the ball. However, de Villiers is living dangerously as he clobbered Bhuvneshwar for four boundaries in a single over. Captain Kohli will be elated with his team's performance. On the other hand, de Villiers and du Plessis will have to steady the innings and bat cautiously.

14:50 IST: Four! Bhuvneshwar into the bowling and de Villiers gets another boundary. Back of a length delivery outside off, gets some elevation and de Villiers plays with soft hands as the ball beats the fielders at slip and rolls away to the boundary.

14:46 IST: 10 overs gone, South Africa 34/3. De Villiers launched the counter-attack after his team lost three early wickets.

14:44 IST: Jasprit Bumrah is brought into the bowling attack

14:41 IST: Four! Width outside off and de Villiers punishes Bhuvneshwar for yet another back-to-back boundaries.

14:38 IST: Four! Back-to-back boundaries for de Villiers off Bhuvneshwar. Playing his natural attacking game, the South African.

14:35 IST: South African batsmen are currently struggling against the brilliance of Indian bowlers. Captain Kohli will be mighty impressed with his bowlers.

14:28 IST: Six overs gone and India are off to a magnificent start.

A fantastic start for #TeamIndia as @BhuviOfficial claims the wicket of the two openers #FreedomSeries #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/cvAmBinOGW

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 5, 2018

14:27 IST: Captain Faf du Plessis comes to the crease.

14:24 IST: WICKET! Bhuvneshwar is on fire! He has left the South African top-order in tatters. This time Amla departs. South Africa is in real trouble, 12/3 in 4.5 overs. The Bhuvneshwar delivery pitched on a good length, held its line. Amla looking for a back-foot punch, edges the ball back to the keeper, who accepts the catch with full gratitude.

14:17 IST: FOUR! First ball boundary from de Villiers as he flicks Mohammad Shami through mid-wicket. Gets off the mark in style.

14:15 IST: AB de Villiers, right handed bat, comes to the crease.

14:14 IST: WICKET! Bhuvneshwar's delivery came back in sharply and caught Markram off-guard as the ball hit him on the pads. Dream beginning for Indian side.

14:12 IST: Four! Over pitched delivery from Bhuvneshwar and Markram drives it for a boundary.

14:09 IST: First run on the board for South Africa as Markram gets off the mark.

14:05 IST: Brilliant start from Bhuvneshwar, a wicket maiden to start the proceedings.

14:03 IST: WICKET! Dream start for India as Bhuvneshwar removes Dean Elgar for a duck on the third ball. Beautiful delivery from Bhuvneshwar, pitches around off, moves away a little bit as Elgar edges the ball back to the wicket-keeper.

13:57 IST: Alright, game time! Dean Elgar and Aiden Markram opening the batting for South Africa and Bhuvneshwar Kumar is opening the bowling for India.

13:54 IST: Both teams are on the ground for their respective national anthems.

13:45 IST: South Africa playing XI:

SA XI: D Elgar, A Markram, H Amla, AB de Villiers, F du Plessis, Q de Kock, V Philander, K Maharaj, D Steyn, K Rabada, M Morkel

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 5, 2018

13:40 IST: Team India playing XI:

IND XI: S Dhawan, M Vijay, C Pujara, V Kohli, RG Sharma, W Saha, H Pandya, R Ashwin, B Kumar, M Shami, J Bumrah

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 5, 2018

13:30 IST: South Africa captain Faf du Plessis wins toss, elects to bat. Jasprit Bumrah makes his Test debut for India.

South Africa wins the toss. Elects to bat first in the 1st Test at Cape Town #FreedomSeries #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/lFkTJMVNpb

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 5, 2018

13:27 IST: We are just minutes away from the toss. Stay tuned!

13:18 IST: India pacer Jasprit Bumrah receives his Test cap from captain Virat Kohli.

Proud moment for @Jaspritbumrah93 as he receives his Test cap from #TeamIndia Skipper @imVkohli #FreedomSeries #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/H7s4w8gSmh

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 5, 2018

13:12 IST: Team India discuss their strategy ahead of their first Test against the Faf Du Plessis-led side.

Team talk ahead of the first Test here in Newlands #TeamIndia #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/542WGeUURP

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 5, 2018

13:00 IST: Hello and welcome to the live blog of the first Test match between India and South Africa straight from Cape Town.

Ironically, it will be the Mumbai duo of Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma who will in the hot seat if there are any questions about the batting. But that is just for now. Other may join that list as the series progresses. India have a poor record in South Africa as they lost five out of six series and drawn one. Since 1992, India have only won two out of 17 Tests played on South African soil -- in 2006-07 under Rahul Dravid and in 2010-11 under MS Dhoni.