Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin picked up five wickets to help India take a 17-run lead over South Africa, bowling out the visitors for 184 runs in their first innings on the second day of the first Test here on Friday.
Advertisement
Ashwin created history by becoming the first Indian to reach 150 Test wickets in just 29 matches, going past legends Erapalli Prasanna and Anil Kumble who did it in 34 games.
India, who started the third day at 2-125 in their second innings, moved to 2-161 before a meltdown saw them lose their last eight wickets for 39.
MOHALI, INDIAIndia captain Virat Kohli resented the “unnecessary hype” around the Mohali pitch after his team beat South Africa inside three days in a spin-dominated first test on Saturday.
Jadeja took five second-innings wickets and his match haul of eight along with the 38 crucial runs he contributed to India’s first innings earned him the man-of-the-match award. “It’s very important to use your feet as a batsman”.
Amla struck 43 off 97 balls with six fours before he jumped out and was stumped as the ball bounced off wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha’s chest and hit the stumps. Amla, in particular, fell in weird circumstances as the Proteas captain made a decision to leave a straight ball from Jadeja which did not turn and took out the middle stump.
While Mishra removed the South African big gun AB de Villiers for 63, Jadeja accounted for Philander (3) and Dale Steyn (6).
Vijay looked the most comfortable among the Indian batsmen at the crease and brought up his 12th fifty in tests before getting out lbw to off-spinner Simon Harmer while attempting a sweep shot.
De Villiers was lucky to cross seven after television umpire Vineet Kulkarni ruled that Jadeja had bowled a no-ball when the batsman was caught in the slips by Kohli.
South Africa handed a test debut to 20-year-old fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, who was impressive during the limited-overs series that the touring side won. Their batsmen played really well.
After Dhawan was caught at second slip in a repeat of his first-innings dismissal in the second session, Tahir gave the visitors the much-needed breakthrough with a googly that got dangerman Vijay back in the pavilion.
Advertisement
Eighteen wickets fall on the third day to show nature of the pitch. It was also the second highest individual total from the Indian batters in the first innings in the match, highest being Murali Vijay’s 75. He was caught to a lovely diving catch by substitute Temba Bavuma at short leg, off legspinner Imran Tahir.
