With Ravichandran Ashwin the pair added a valuable 98 runs for the eighth wicket and steered India into safe territory after they had been 139 for six on the opening day.
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In Jadeja’s next over, Faf du Plessis (0) attempted a paddle scoop only to be caught by Rahane who had moved in from the first slip to a leg slip position in anticipation of the shot.
Rahane, 89 overnight, reached his century with a straight-driven four off pace bowler Kyle Abbott, and raising his arms in celebration.
But Rahane felt that the wicket at the Kotla is in excellent condition and the Indian bowlers should be given credit for bundling out the South African batsmen for a low total.
For South Africa, the dropped catches kept on hurting them, as a chance from Rahane went begging while he was in the “nervous-nineties”.
At the tea break, South Africa had a fairly steady start as the wicket didn’t seem to possess the kind of demons that were in Mohali and Nagpur.
Unstoppable: Ravindra Jadeja picked upyet another 5-wicket haul to bowl South Africa out for 121 in their first innings. When the day two began, India were on 231 for 7, with Rahane and R Ashwin in the middle.
The India quicks, content playing the second fiddle to their spin colleagues in the series, drove home the advantage with Yadav uprooting JP Duminy’s off-stump and Ishant Sharma castling Dane Vilas.
Jadeja took five wickets by giving away 30 runs to demolish the South African batting. (It was) important to build a partnership.
A soft dismissal ended Rahane’s sparkling knock, with the batsman driving Tahir to AB de Villiers at cover before trudging off to a rousing ovation. In the next over, off Dane Piedt, Rahane was in IPL mode, dancing down the track twice to lift the batsman over the fence on either side of the wicket.
AB de Villiers tried to take on Indian bowling and was quite successful till Jadeja removed on an individual score of 42. Asked if India’s decision not to en-force a follow-on on South Africa was a right one, Gavaskar said, “Yes, I think it is a right decision”.
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Asked about his special innings at a venue where he had made his debut, Rahane said his mind wandered to the “good memories of the Lord’s Test against England last year” and he took inspiration from that.
