South Africans take control despite Indian all-rounder's 93 and two-wicket burst
Hardik Pandya celebrates dismissing South Africa's Aiden Markram on Day Two of first Test in Cape Town on Saturday. Pic/AFP
On the 59th birthday of India's greatest all-rounder, India's 289th cricketer, and not the first or last to be labelled the next Kapil Dev, played the innings of his life to dig India out of a hole that once threatened to swallow them whole. Hardik Pandya, weathering four fast bowlers who were steaming in, wearing several blows on his body, carved a 95-ball 93 to ensure that India's first-innings deficit was reduced to 77.
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By the time Pandya came out to bat, India's innings was in tatters. Rohit Sharma, included in the playing eleven at the expense of Ajinkya Rahane, was all at sea on the second morning of the first Test at Newlands. After being given a thorough working over where he played and missed repeatedly and was squared up by the moving ball, Rohit was nailed in front of the stumps by a quick one from Kagiso Rabada.
Hardik Pandya plays an upper cut en route his 95-ball 93 knock
Pujara's perseverance
Cheteshwar Pujara, who had spent more than two and a half hours at the crease for only 26, all patience and perseverance but unable to find ways to score, fell to the first ball after lunch, edging Vernon Philander to Faf du Plessis. R Ashwin was given the bouncer treatment, Wriddhiman Saha went for a duck and at 92 for seven, the worst fears of the cynics had come true. South Africa's bowlers were right on top of India's batsmen and fears of a rout loomed. But, Bhuvneshwar Kumar showed that he was good enough to hang around, and Pandya expressed himself fearlessly. From back-foot punches to expansive lofted drives through the off side, from rasping upper cuts to the thump over long-on, Pandya displayed his full array of shots.
De Kock misses stumping
On a pitch like this one, you need to have a bit of luck, and Pandya made the most of it being his day. On 15, Dean Elgar dropped a straightforward catch at gully off Dale Steyn and when Keshav Maharaj, the left-arm spinner, deceived Pandya in the flight, but Quinton de Kock was unable to collect the ball.
But given the courage Pandya displayed, and the manner in which he outshone his more illustrious teammates, you could hardly grudge him the rub of the green. Even as Pandya scored 93 with 15 boundaries, the rest of the team eked out 102 off 347 balls with 16 boundaries. When Pandya finally fell, edging to the 'keeper trying to uppercut the ferocious Rabada, India folded up for 209. South Africa's openers responded strongly, but you just could not keep Pandya out of the game. First, he drew a leading edge from Aiden Markram and then had Dean Elgar caught behind. At the end of the day, South Africa had a comfortable lead of 142 with eight second-innings wickets still in hand.
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