India vs South Africa 1st Test Day 2: Hardik Pandya scored his second Test fifty. (Source: AP)
India vs South Africa 1st Test Day 2 Live Score: India were all out for 209 and they got to that total courtesy an absolute humdinger of an innings from Hardik Pandya and an able supporting role played by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. India were rattled by South Africa pacers in the first Test in Cape Town. After a decent start to the day’s play, India lost Rohit Sharma before Lunch but South Africa picked up regular wickets after Lunch including the big one of Cheteshwar Pujara as India struggled to score runs at the Newlands pitch. But then, the unlikely pair of Hardik Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar pulled them out of the swamps. Pandya looked jittery and uncomfortable in the beginning but there was no looking back since he got his sight on the ball. He played a counter-attacking innings of similar to the ones executed by AB De Villiers and Quinton De Kock. Bhuvneshwar Kumar stood by him firmly, holding on for no runs in the first 34 balls he faced and made 25 off 86 balls before being dismissed by Morne Morkel in the third session. Pandya was denied a century, being dismissed for 93 off 95 balls by Kagiso Rabada. Hence South Africa remain in the driver’s seat batting second, starting with a lead of 77 runs. Catch Live Cricket Score of India vs South Africa 1st Test Day 2 here. India vs South Africa Live Cricket SCORECARD
India vs South Africa 1st Test, Day 2 LIVE: 2034 hrs IST: South Africa’s lead now on 99. Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah attacking in pairs but Elgar and Markram are holding strong. Unlike the Indian batsmen, they know where their off stump is and that is holding them in good stead
2020 hrs IST: But his innings did have a few low points, especially this one:
(Source: AP)
2016 hrs IST: This is an interesting stat: Hardik Pandya – 93 runs, 15 boundaries. Rest of India – 102 runs, 16 boundaries.
(Source: Reuters)
2006 hrs IST: Big chance for India early on, Bumrah pitches one short to Elgar and he attempts to pull it over mid on, it balloons up in the air and Shami is chasing it, doesn’t get there. He may have got a hand to it, but can’t tell for sure
1952 hrs IST: GONE! Bumrah the last man to fall, India all out for 209, South Africa start their second innings with a 77-run lead. India may be behind but they have the momentum now. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya covered up for the faults of those that came before them. Pandya deserved a century but he can be proud of what he has done for his tea. If India get the kind of start they did yesterday, South Africa are going to be in for it.
1942 hrs IST: Bumrah pushes away a good length delivery from Rabada off his leg and it runs away to the boundary line. Takes one to the thigh after that and is caught at short leg but no bat
1940 hrs IST: Shami and Bumrah are in the middle, Rabada and Morkel vying for the last wicket of the innings.
Official Update: Dale Steyn has a bruised left heel and has been taken for scans for further investigations. CSA will give an update when available. #ProteaFire pic.twitter.com/z1GBiPHtAe
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) 6 January 2018
1937 hrs IST: They are all decked up in the Indian dressing room. Meanwhile Bumrah gets his first run in Test cricket and that also brings up India’s 200. They trail South Africa by 86 runs now, if that matters.
1932 hrs IST: GONE! Pandya dismissed and the counter-attack ends. Rabada pitches this short, Pandya looking for a ramp over gully, ends up nicking it behind the wicket. An incredible innings comes to an end, Pandya c De Kock, b Rabada for 93 off 95 balls
1926 hrs IST: Pandya on 90 now. Ever the counter attacker, he has looked to pull Rabada a number of times right after Bhuvneshwar was dismissed. One such time he missed it and crashed on the no-fly zone of the male body. It did not hit him squarely on the spot, but he did feel that one. Shakes his head and gets on with it and manages to hit a boundary off Morkel in the next over to get to within 10 runs of a second Test century
1917 hrs IST: GONE! Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s stand has ended, nicks it to the keeper, Morkel the man with the wicket, end of a 99-run stand with Pandya. Bhuvneshwar made 25 off 86 balls
1908 hrs IST: Dale Steyn has gone off the pitch for a scan. Not good news at all for South Africa. Maharaj and Morkel in the attack currently for South Africa. Meanwhile India’s deficit has gone below 100
1857 hrs IST: Right, the players are back out on the pitch, how long can these two hold? And will Pandya be the first Indian centurion in South Africa this series ahead of all his illustrous seniors? Or will South Africa just get back into their sweeping mode and force India to take the field sooner than later? These are questions that will be answered in this session
1840 hrs IST: Tea at Newlands and that brings to an end a riveting session of Test cricket. India 185/7, trail South Africa by 101 runs, Pandya 81 (68), Bhuvneshwar 24 (65). One can only wonder what Dean Elgar must be feeling while sitting in front of his cuppa. He had dropped Pandya while the all-rounder was yet to get into his 20’s. He has since done to South Africa what AB De Villiers and later Quinton De Kock did to India. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has stood firmly by his side and, in many ways, his 34-ball zero has done as much for India as Pandya’s knock has. South Africa had wiped out the Indian top order in the final session of Day 1, it remains to be seem whether they can do the same to India’s lower order here, but Pandya and Bhuvneshwar have taken India right back into this game
1828 hrs IST: Big shout against Bhuvneshwar off the last ball of Steyn’s over, back of a length and climbing steeply, South Africans asking the umpire if it took an edge before landing into De Kock’s gloves. No, is the answer, the Proteas don’t go for the review
1825 hrs IST: Steyn in, but no luck for South Africa. Bowls a few quickies into Bhuvneshwar’s body and the latter fends them off well. He then sees the chance and places it perfectly through cover for four.
1818 hrs IST: Another jab at one pitched up outside off and somehow through the slips and races away to the boundary.
1816 hrs IST: Steyn back into the attack, Kumar facing and he pokes at a few balls outside off. It has to be noted Pandya made all his runs while Steyn had been taken off the attack. He has made 75 off 62, by the way
1814 hrs IST: Oooh a close one! Luck seems to be on Pandya’s side. He slams a six off the first ball bowled by Keshav Maharaj. He comes down the track for the second, misses it completely and would have been stumped but Quinton De Kock was unable to hold on to it. Pandya leaves the next and them slams the one after that for four
1810 hrs IST: And now Bhuvneshwar slams consecutive boundaries off Kagiso Rabada. India have themselves an unlikely counter attacking partnership – 61 off 79 balls between Pandya and Bhuvneshwar
1756 hrs IST: Pandya slaps Morkel for a boundary and that brings up his second Test half century. It has come off just 46 balls. It is the innings that India needed. Partnership between Pandya and Bhuvneshwar is now 39, all of which have been made by the former
1748 hrs IST: Pandya finishes off Morne Morkel’s over with a four. He seems to be better settled now, the early jitter has lessened and its place are steady hands and a confidence that we have come to associate with him in his performances in India.
1740 hrs IST: Hardik Pandya has tried to not be on the backfoot but still play the ball late. He has move ahead nicely. So far so good
1725 hrs IST: Hardik Pandya is now the highest run-scorer for India in this innings. He has reached there off just 26 balls. Completely opposite of how the other batsmen have batted
1715 hrs IST: This will be one of the toughest time for Hardik Pandya as a cricketer. Best bowlers in the world steaming in, ball moving in both directions, India struggling, tail to bat with. Pandya’s test in Test cricket
1708 hrs IST: WICKET! Wriddhiman Saha has to go and it is a lame dismissal. He shouldered his arms to Dale Steyn delivery that came back into him. That crashed into the off stump!
1700 hrs IST: India avoid the follow-on! This has to be one of the best Test that India have played in a while. South Africa given nothing easily
1655 hrs IST: WICKET! Quinton de Kock has pulled off an one-handed stunner to dismiss R Ashwin off Vernon Philander. Ashwin poking at a ball that is going wide and paying the price!
A stunner by De Kock to remove Ashwin. Philander getting considerable lateral movement off the surface….this mach isn’t going into the 5th day #SAvIND
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) 6 January 2018
1648 hrs IST: BIG SHOUT! Hardik Pandya survives a shout of caught behind on review. The onfield umpire had given him out but he reviewed it immediately. The contact was with the thigh pad.
To make matters worse, right in the first Test, India have got a South African pitch that not only has pace & bounce but also movement off the pitch.#IndvSAonSonyTen3
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) 6 January 2018
1645 hrs IST: Philander got the ball to move around 45 centimetres — the one which got Pujara out. He has been fantastic for South Africa and deserved that wicket!
1640 hrs IST: WICKET! First ball after Lunch and Pujara is gone. Top line from Philander. Outside off-stump, tempting the batsman to play at it and Pujara, who has left this kind of delivery throughout his innings, pokes at it. Faf du Plessis takes a good catch at slips.
Hang in, hang in, hang in…….one gets the edge. That kind of game
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) 6 January 2018
1625 hrs IST: India still have a big task ahead. Ashwin and Pujara will be resuming the innings in a while but both need to keep going in the middle
1600 hrs IST: Lunch on Day 2 in Cape Town! India reach 76 for 4. They still trail South Africa by 212 runs. Cheteshwar Pujara unbeaten on 26. Fascinating session of Test cricket!
1555 hrs IST: Pujara has been brilliant in what he has done today. No risks taken, left the balls which deserved to be left, has hit a couple of boundaries. Overall been terrific.
1544 hrs IST: 33 overs bowled in the Indian innings and they are 73 for the loss of four wickets. Dale Steyn is back with 15 minutes to go for Lunch
India have to defend but the flip side is that the game doesn’t progress much and the loss of a wicket leaves you more vulnerable
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) 6 January 2018
1535 hrs IST: Ashwin gets a four past the short-leg fielder. Played on the up and he has done well to play it away from the fielder
1525 hrs IST: R Ashwin is the new man in for India and South Africa test him with a series of bounces. Ashwin manages to keep them away. But won’t like this at all
Good to watch some cut-and-thrust Test cricket in SA after the first four and a half Ashes games. A relief, in fact.
— Lawrence Booth (@the_topspin) 6 January 2018
1519 hrs IST: WICKET! Rohit Sharma has been adjudged LBW off Rabada. The ball shaped into the right-hander and the umpire had no doubt in his mind. Pujara and Rohit discussing if to review this. It is fair delivery. Ball is hitting Rohit’s pads inside the line and will go on to hit the middle stumps. India lose a review and wicket
A lot of resistance but made very little progress. This four-pronged pace attack is currently the BEST attack in the world. #SAvIND
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) 6 January 2018
1510 hrs IST: Some runs for India. Couple of loose deliveries from South Africa which have fetched boundaries for India.
1455 hrs IST: One hour of play done in Cape Town and India have done well to not lose any wicket. So many chances for South Africa but luck on India’s favour!
1437 hrs IST: South Africa have put the two Indian batsmen under pressure with some good bowling but credit to both Pujara and Rohit for securing the early momentum
1427 hrs IST: Rohit Sharma gets a bouncer from Morne Morkel and manages to play it down the leg side. Two runs for him. First of day two
Love watching @DaleSteyn62 Bowl.
Back in the fold.. So chuffed! Look forward to seeing him collect his record he so deserves. #legend— David Miller (@DavidMillerSA12) 6 January 2018
Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander are firing at the two Indian batsmen. Rohit and Pujara have somehow survived. Rohit is yet to score a run
1421 hrs IST: First runs of the day for India. Pujara pushes one between point and cover and runs two on misfield. India off the mark on day two
1420 hrs IST: Four overs into the day’s play and India are yet to score any runs. Vernon Philander and Dale Steyn with two maidens each. India 28 for 3
1404 hrs IST: Maiden over to start with from Dale Steyn. A couple of beauties from him to Rohit Sharma. Vernon Philander to bowl from the other end to Pujara
1400 hrs IST: Pujara and Rohit out in the middle to begin the second day’s play in Cape Town. India resume at 28 for 3
Thoughts ahead of the second day….calling it as I’m seeing it. Hope I’m wrong…. #SAvIND #AakashVani pic.twitter.com/ku2HLXYFIG
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) 6 January 2018
1355 hrs IST: There is still grass on the Newlands pitch and it will be testing times for Pujara and Rohit when the come out to bat in a while
1335 hrs IST: Less than half an hour remaining for the start of play in the Cape Town. India need to score some runs but more importantly, India need to keep wickets
1320 hrs IST: India will hope that Cheteshwar Pujara and Rohit Sharma to continue the partnership. India are still trail by 258 runs so these two need to rebuild the Indian innings
1300 hrs IST: Hello and welcome to our live blog on South Africa vs India, 1st Test Day 2 in Cape Town. After a thriller of a day on Friday, Saturday promises to pack an exciting punch. We will give you live updates on the proceedings of the day here. Stay tuned.
South Africa: Faf du Plessis (c), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock †, AB de Villiers †, Dean Elgar, Keshav Maharaj, AK Markram Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn
India: Virat Kohli (c), Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Hardik Pandya, Cheteshwar Pujara, Wriddhiman Saha †, Rohit Sharma, Murali Vijay