India vs South Africa, 1st Test, Day 1, Live score and updates: India on the attack as South Africa down to last two

India vs South Africa, 1st Test, Day 1 Live: Catch all the live cricket scores and updates from Cape Town.

By: Express Web Desk | Updated: January 5, 2018 7:47 pm
South Africa are playing their first Test match against South Africa in Cape Town. India vs South Africa 1st Test, Day 1 LIVE: Bhuvneshwar Kumar took 3 wickets early in the day. (Source: BCCI)

It had been a thrilling start to the match and who would have thought India would draw the first blood! South African skipper Faf Du Plessis called to bat first after winning the toss and put India into the attack. Coming into bowl with the new ball, Bhuvneshwar Kumar struck on his third delivery as he got the big wicket of opening batsman Dean Elgar for a duck. Kumar continued to breathe fire in consecutive overs as he got Aiden Markram and Hashim Amla’s wicket in his next two overs, putting South Africa into a nervy 12/3. AB de Villiers and Du Plessis started building a partnership and ensured they do not lose any more wicket. The two build a 50-run partnership and De Villiers quickly scored his 41st half century in just 55 balls with the help of 10 boundaries. The two took Proteas to 107/3 at Lunch on Day 1 and tilted the balance of the session slightly in their favour.

India vs South Africa 1st Test, Day 1 Live 1941 hrs IST: Rabada and Steyn may be two of the best South Africa have got in the pace bowling department. For now, they are trying to prop up the South African innings and doing a pretty good job at that. Steyn is denied a boundary by Ashwin though who dives to collect the ball. Throws the ball and jogs back to his position with a smile on his face. But Stey does get a boundary off the next ball, a beauty of a shot straight through mid off.

1937 hrs IST: GONE! Maharaj is run out by R Ashwin. A wicket out of nowhere for India comes out of a yes-no between the two batsmen. Maharaj was the man on strike and was a fair way outside his crease before Rabada turned him back, Ashwin’s throw reached the stumps before Maharaj did.

1916 hrs IST: Rabada goes big this time, gets six runs off the third ball of Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s over. Takes a single off the next to bring up South Africa’s 150. That six is thus far the only highlight of the third session so far. Maharaj and Rabada are holding on, not trying to hit back the way those who came in to bat before them tried.

1904 hrs IST: In the post Tea session, India yet to snare another, Rabada and Maharaj are keeping the scoreboard ticking. India will be hoping to get a bat today

1900 hrs IST: It’s been that kind of a day for South Africa: 

(Source: Reuters)

1845 hrs IST: The umpires call for TEA at Newlands, South Africa are 230/7, Keshav Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada in the middle for the Proteas. A session that swung both ways. There were wickets, there were runs it has been a very exciting contest so far between the top two Test teams in the world. South Africa were pegged back when De Villiers and Du Plessis fell but De Kock and Philander took the attack back to India. Then they departed but Maharaj has kept the scoreboard ticking. It may have been a rather even session but as far as the match is concerned, India are clearly ahead

1826 hrs IST: BOWLED HIM! Shami clips off the bails behind Vernon Philander. Swings in from outside off, Philander looks to play on and misses it completey, the balls takes off the bails on its way to the keeper. Out comes Kagiso Rabada who has 260 runs under his belt so far. Unfair to say this but Karun Nair scored more than than in a single innings.

1823 hrs IST: The first six of the innings come from the willow of Keshav Maharaj

1810 hrs IST: Philander dropped on 20 by Shikhar Dhawan at slips. It’s those slippery slips again for India. First real chance of the day that has gone that way, Shikhar Dhawan goes to his left but spils. It was pretty much Kohli’s catch but it still was a regular catch that Dhawan should not have dropped

1804 hrs IST: GONE! And that is the end of De Kock’s resistance, Bhuvneshwar strikes. De Kock seems to have nicked this to the keeper. He ponders but eventually decides against taking the review, India back on top

1800 hrs IST: Oooh Ash comes close! Fourth ball of Ashwin’s second over, and De Kock tries to slash it through the covers, takes an inside edge and misses the off stump by centimetres

1752 hrs IST: Ravichandran Ashwin bowls his first ball of the match and De Kock hits it for a four. He is in that kind of a mood right now, the South Africa wicket keeper

1739 hrs IST: India have got Du Plessis and De Villiers, they have their tales up and De Kock pounces right on top of them. He has raced to 25 off 19 balls, his innings punctuated by 5 boundaries so far. Counter-attacking cricket from South Africa

1729 hrs IST: 0, 4, 4, 4, 0, 1, 0. That’s what happened in the very next over bowled by Bumrah. Quinton De Kock is not one to take things lying down, all three fours were deliveries pitched outside off. 

1723 hrs IST: GONE! Du Plessis departs and South Africa on shaky ground now. Hardik Pandya strikes, Good length outside off, keeps it low, Du Plessis reaches for it and nicks it to the keeper and the Indians are running around like kids around an ince cream truck. Big, big blow for South Africa

1717 hrs IST: Faf Du Plessis brings up his 16th Test 50 with a boundary off Bumrah. The captain is laeding the resistance for South Africa. Meanwhile accolades have started flowing for Jasprit Bumrah

1707 hrs IST: GONE! Oh, he has got something better to brag about! Bumrah’s first ever wicket in Test cricket is that of AB De Villiers. Bumrah has put 140 kph behind this one, De Villiers tries to drive at it but it takes an inside edge and crashes on to the stumps. A good innings comes to an end an now Quinton De Kock walks out

1659 hrs IST: Bumrah to Du Plessis and the South African captain reaches for it, ends up going to the keeper. India appeal but the umpire is not interested, Kohli goes for a review. Replays show that Bumrah had marginally overstepped and it is thus a no-ball. Hence, India don’t lose a review. Replays show that there was no bat on the ball. Lucky moment for India, although Bumrah would have loved to say that his first ever wicket in Test cricket is Faf du Plessis

1644 hrs IST: The partnership keeps flowing. Pandya follows up Bumrah to bowl the second over of the session, 28th over of the day. Du Plessis scores boundaries off the first and last balls of the over. Bumrah continues after him

1640 hrs IST: Back from LUNCH. Jasprit Bumrah starts off for India. He is still looking to get his first wicket in the format. Can he break the partnership?

1600 hrs IST: LUNCH on Day 1! What an exciting first session we had in Cape Town. It started as Bhuvi’s show with the seamer taking 3 wickets in his first 3 overs. But the session titled towards South Africa with skipper Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers stitching a 95-run partnership. The duo took Proteas to 107/3 at Lunch.

1550 hrs IST: Hardik Pandya into the attack and it is his only 4th Test match. Can he inspire his side to take a wicket here?

1540 hrs IST: FIFTY for AB de Villiers and what a comeback it is for him in a 5-day Test match. It is his 41st Test half century and it has come at a time when South Africa badly needed him to stick it out on the crease. He has been excellent and has scored his half ton in just 55 balls. 

1525 hrs IST: AB de Villiers is closing on his 41st Test fifty, and he has just played 48 balls. In spite of wickets falling in quick successions, de Villiers continues to play the game in his own way. ALWAYS

1515 hrs IST: CHANCE! Mohammed Shami ALMOST got the wicket of Faf Du Plessis. The South African played a very late edge and the ball went to Indian skipper Virat Kohli at slips. But Kohli was unconvinced whether the ball took a bounce before coming to his hands. The umpire sent the decision to TV umpires and the replays showed that it had indeed bounced just short of Kohli. PHEW!

1500 hrs IST: The first hour is up and Shami has been brought back into the attack. He will be bowling from the end from where Bhuvneshwar was bowling in the first hour. Can he break this partnership?

1450 hrs IST: AB de Villiers leads South Africa’s counter-attack after early scare and he now scoring boundaries at will. If India can break this partnership between de Villiers and du Plessis before Lunch, then they can really put the opposition under some real pressure.

1440 hrs IST: Jasprit Bumrah, who is playing his first Test is now into action. He will be bowling against South Africa’s perhaps best batting pair of AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis. Can he get his first maiden wicket?

1430 hrs IST: Bhuvneshwar Kumar is only the second bowler to take 3 wickets within the first 6 overs in an away match since 2001. In 2017, it was Australia’s Pat Cummins who did the same against Bangladesh.

1420 hrs IST: WICKET! Bhuvneshwar Kumar gets another one here as HASHIM AMLA departs on 1. That is a HUGE WICKET for India and South Africa in BIG trouble now. SA 12/3

1412 hrs IST: WICKET! Bhuvneshwar Kumar gets another one and it is Aiden Markram who is gone here for a 5. Huge appeal from Bhuvi and Kohli and the umpire gives it straightaway. South Africa are not thinking of a review here and the replay shows it was hitting middle stumps.  

1410 hrs IST: The first hour will be extremely crucial on the first day with the pitch offering nice swing and getting a good bounce. South African batsman are finding it hard to understand Bhuvneshwar Kumar at the moment and India need to use the momentum to get a couple of more wickets here.

1405 hrs IST: WICKET! Bhuvneshwar Kumar strikes with the third ball and it is DEAN ELGAR who is gone on a duck! The ball got an outside swing and Elgar touched it and it went straight to Saha behind the stumps. INDIA STRIKES. SA 0/1

1400 hrs IST: HERE WE GO! Bhuvneshwar Kumar with the ball. Dean Elgar and Aiden Markram with the bat. It is a crucial first session for both the teams. 

1350 hrs IST: India has decided to play Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah, both of whom have never played a Test match before in the country. In fact, Bumrah has never played in the format before. This is a bold move by Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri, backing their players to go out on the biggest stage against a really strong team and prove themselves. Can the two strike early for India?

1335 hrs IST: For South Africa, Dale Steyn is in along with Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel and Kagiso Rabada. That seems like a dangerous seamers line-up. India will feel themselves lucky they are not facing this attack in the first hour of the first day.

1330 hrs IST: South Africa win the toss and elect to bat first against India in Cape Town. India are going with 3 seamers, Hardik Pandya is also playing as an allrounder and also Ravichandran Ashwin as a lone-spinner. Ravindra Jadeja misses out in the first Test. Ajinkya Rahane also not playing for India, and Rohit Sharma is in. THAT IS A HUGE CALL!

1320 hrs IST: With lot of green patches on the screen, the pitch is expected to act slow on the first day and the batsmen will have to play more on the back foot and wait for the ball to come in. The first hour is likely to belong to bowler but the pitch could become batsman’s paradise later in the day. Former South African captain Shaun Pollock says the team to win the toss elect to bowl first.

1310 hrs IST: Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is set to start for India as he received his maiden Test cap early in the day from captain Virat Kohli. On green turf which will support fast bowling, his selection hardly comes as a surprise. Watch video below:

1300 hrs IST: Hello and welcome to our live blog on South Africa vs India, 1st Test Day 1 in Cape Town. The much anticipated series is about to start and we will give you all the live updates and scores here. Coming to you with the toss in about 30 minutes. Stay tuned.

South Africa squad: Faf du Plessis (c), Hashim Amlam, T Bavuma, TB de Bruyn, Quinton de Kock †, AB de Villiers †, Dean Elgar, Keshav Maharaj, AK Markramm Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, AL Phehlukwayo, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn

India squad: Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Hardik Pandya, Parthiv Patel †, Cheteshwar Pujara, KL Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha †, Ishant Sharma , Rohit Sharma, Murali Vijay, Umesh Yadav

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