South Africa finished Day 2 of the first Test against India with an 11-run lead after reaching 256/5 at the stumps. Team India started the day with a 208/8 overnight score.
KL Rahul maintained his form and scored 5 runs in 22 balls alongside Mohammed Siraj. Rahul achieved his well-deserved century in the 66th over, taking the subcontinental side to 245 before being caught by Nandre Burger to end the first innings.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj put pressure on Africa’s openers with effective bowling
With the new ball, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj bowled effectively, putting pressure on South Africa’s openers. Siraj gave the visitors their first breakthrough by removing Aiden Markram in the fourth over.
Dean Elgar and Tony de Zorzi then successfully withstood the bursts of Siraj and Bumrah. Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna, the change bowlers, performed terribly, releasing all the pressure with erroneous bowling. Against the tandem, the hitters cashed in and scored runs at a high rate.
After lunch, Jasprit Bumrah hauled his team back into the game with two fast wickets, dismissing Tony de Zorzi for 28 and Keegan Petersen for 2. However, it was only a fleeting thrill for the visiting team.
Dean Elgar and David Bedingham 56 put up a 131-run fourth-wicket stand, crushing India’s chances of taking the lead. Elgar appeared fine and struck a counter-attacking century, while Bedingham debuted with a half-century.
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How did Indian bowlers affect South Africa?
The Indian bowlers claimed two wickets at the tail end and reduced South Africa to 256/5 before the umpires had to send the players off the pitch due to terrible light. At stumps, Dean Elgar 140* and Marco Jansen 3* were undefeated for the hosts.
On Day 2 of the first Test between the two sides in Centurion, fans witnessed the action. They shared their feelings by posting amusing memes on social media.
Here are a few of the best memes:
I am confident that KL Rahul’s century is among the top 10 in Indian Test history. Sunil Gavaskar’s
Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar lauded KL Rahul for his outstanding century against South Africa in the first innings of the Boxing Day Test. Gavaskar ranked Rahul’s century as one of the best ten hundred in Indian Test cricket history when commentating on Star Sports, saying:
“Because of the peculiar characteristics of the surface, I can certainly state that KL Rahul’s century ranks among the top ten in Indian Test history. A batter would never feel secure in this situation. The ball can accomplish anything at any time.”
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