India vs South Africa, Live Cricket Score, 3rd Test, Day 1: Visitors Lose KL Rahul, Murali Vijay Early

India will seek to avoid a series whitewash when they play South Africa in the third and final Test at the Wanderers Stadium. The Wanderers could live up to its reputation as a haven for fast bowlers, especially after South African captain Faf du Plessis expressed his disappointment with the slowness of the Centurion pitch where South Africa clinched the series last week. Two days out from the match, there was a generous covering of green grass on a surface baking under a hot sun, with groundsman Bethuel Buthelezi saying in a weekend newspaper interview that he was planning on preparing a "green mamba" -- which South Africans understand as a green pitch offering venomous assistance to seam bowlers. (Live Scorecard)

Catch the live action and updates of India vs South Africa, 3rd Test, Day 1 straight from Johannesburg

14:33 IST- Play resumes

14:30 IST- Drinks
Time to strategise for both teams. Having said that, the first 13 overs belonged to the hosts with some brilliant bowling coupled with two Indian wickets. India 19/2

14:26 IST- Pujara yet to get off the mark. Another defensive shot by the batsman. He has played 26 deliveries but hasn't scored any runs yet. The hosts are bowling really well. The lateral movement has helped them a great deal. India 17/1

14:18 IST- What a delivery by Philander. This shows the conditions are difficult for the batsmen. Should India have chosen to bowl first given the current conditions? Hopefully we will get to know as the day progresses. India 13/2 

14:15 IST- Next batsman is India skipper Virat Kohli.

Here we go again.....

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) January 24, 2018

14:10 IST- OUT! Kasigo Rabada comes into the attack for the hosts and strikes in his first over. What a ball. Vijay has been skirting with danger and finally succumbs to a brilliant delivery. Fails to read the pace and is caught by the wicket keeper de Kock for 8 runs. India 13/2

WICKET!!! Into the attack comes home boy @KagisoRabada25 and he takes just 4 deliveries to strike as a Vijay edge is taken by De Kock for 8. India 13/2 #ProteaFire #SAvIND #SunfoilTest pic.twitter.com/AvLV7K0ITZ

— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) January 24, 2018

14:05 IST- Pujara is yet to get off the mark. Some good disciplined bowling display by Morkel has restricted the visiting batsmen till now. India 12/1

13:58 IST- Decision reviewed for LBW. Given not out by the on-field umpire. Pujara survives.  Disappointment for the hosts. India 7/1 

13:51 IST- The visitors are chasing wide deliveries. They seem to be playing with fire at the moment. Three back-to-back maidens appears to be bothering the Indian batsmen. Morkel has been terrific with the ball. Morkel finishes the over with a maiden. India 7/1

13:46 IST- OUT! India lose their first wicket as KL Rahul departs for a duck. An excellent catch by wicket keeper Quinton de Kock. Philander's clever bowling stumps the batsman. Cheteshwar Pujara is the next batsman for the visitors. India 7/1

WICKET!!! Great start for SA as @VDP_24 strikes in the fourth over. A great start to his 50th Test as Rahul edges behind to De Kock for a duck #ProteaFire #SAvIND #SunfoilTest pic.twitter.com/SR6YO9sZDr

— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) January 24, 2018

13:40 IST- Vernon Philander playing his 50th Test. Takes the ball for the hosts. Solid defensive technique by Rahul. Rahul is negotiating the ball movement really well. Maiden over for Philander. India 7/0

13:35 IST- Good movement by Morkel and equally impressive by Vijay. A good first over by Morkel. A thick edge but he gets off the mark with a boundary in the third ball. Nervy shot selection in the first over but a good shot punched down the ground in the fifth ball of the first over by the Indian opener restored his confidence. The last ball was well left by Vijay. India 7/0

13:30 IST- Day 1, Session 1 begins
India openers Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul are in the middle while South Africa's Morne Morkel begins the proceesings for the hosts.

13:29 IST- The first day of the third and final Test begins with India winning the toss and deciding to bat first. Ajinkya Rahane finally gets the nod to play as Rohit Sharma makes way. 

13:25 IST- The team are out in the middle. Their respective National Anthems beings played. 

I would have liked @ashwinravi99 in the side. Gives attack variety, even on a greentop, bats too. What do you think?

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) January 24, 2018

13:07 IST- Teams

Good morning and welcome to Johannesburg for the final #SunfoilTest of this #FreedomSeries. Will it be a clean sweep by SA or will India salvage some pride? #ProteaFire #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/5Hwajol5pN

— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) January 24, 2018

South Africa (Playing XI): Faf du Plessis(c), Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock(w), Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel, Lungisani Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo

India (Playing XI): Virat Kohli(c), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Parthiv Patel(w), Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah

#TeamIndia has won the toss and elected to bat first in the 3rd Test #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/SEpdvhhYIq

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 24, 2018

If you're considering four seamers, there's a lot of merit in playing 6 proper batsmen. Will India? Toss critical anyway...win and bowl. #SAvIND

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) January 24, 2018

13:00 IST- TOSS! Virat Kohli wins toss and decides to bat first. Ajinkya Rahane in for Rohit Sharma. 

12:55 IST- Toss is five minutes away from now. 

All set for the final Test #TeamIndia #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/X4WuKPFgYY

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 24, 2018

12:50 IST- The pitch shows the grass is really thick. The surface is nice and hard. As the game goes on, the cracks will open up. Veteran Sunil Gavaskar says the Indian team should go with four seamers.

12:44 IST- Hello and welcome to the live updates of the third and final Test of the three-match series between India and South Africa. We bring you the live updates from Johannesburg. We are few minutes away from the toss. 

India, though, will be buoyed by their record at the ground. They have yet to be beaten in Tests there, with a win and three draws going back to 1992/93. On the one occasion where conditions were particularly bowler-friendly, in 2006/07, South Africa were beaten at their own game. While bemoaning his team's poor batting in the current series, Indian captain Virat Kohli has hailed his bowlers, who have claimed 20 wickets in both Tests so far. This, he believes, gives India the ammunition to be competitive. Kohli himself has happy memories of the ground, having scored 119 and 96 in the drawn first Test in 2013/14 when South Africa, set to make a world record 458 to win, finished on 450 for seven, in a match which showed that batsmen can prosper at the Wanderers once the initial sting is drawn from the surface. Cheteshwar Pujara made 153 in the second innings of the 2013/14 match and India will be seeking an improvement from their number three batsman, who has made only 49 runs in four innings, including being run out in both innings in Centurion.

Ajinkya Rahane, who did not play in the first two Tests, had a lengthy net at the weekend and could be recalled on the strength of a strong record in overseas Tests.

Dinesh Karthik was flown in as a replacement for injured wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha and could play at the expense of Parthiv Patel, who had a poor game with the gloves in Centurion.

With their formidable fast bowling attack, coupled with more resolute batting and better fielding in the first two Tests, South Africa will again start favourites although they will be wary of a potential Indian backlash. Rain could interfere with play on as many as four days.