Johannesburg Test: India bowled out, SA finish on 35/1
South African seamers dominated proceedings on Day 1 of the ongoing Johannesburg Test. The second South Africa versus India Test final session saw India get bowled out for 202, with left-arm Macro Jansen taking four wickets. KL Rahul, who is leading India in place of Virat Kohli, scored a defiant fifty, while R Ashwin chipped in. The hosts batted for 18 overs before stumps.
India were off to a steady start after electing to bat. Mayank Agarwal departed on 26. Duanne Olivier then removed Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane on two consecutive deliveries. Rahul reached his fifty, while Hanuma Vihari and Rishabh Pant couldn't stay for long. After Rahul's dismissal (50), R Ashwin (46) and Jasprit Bumrah (14*) guided India to 202. SA finished on 35/1 at stumps.
Rahul held his end in the first session even as he lost partners. He continued to dominate in the second session too. Rahul remained resilient, showcasing his incredible ability to leave balls. His discipline on the tricky Wanderers deck was noteworthy. Rahul eventually slammed his 13th half-century in Tests. However, he ran out of patience in the post-lunch session, falling to left-arm pacer Jansen.
The likes of Jansen, Olivier, and Rabada were on fire. Left-arm pacer Jansen was the pick of South Africa's bowlers. He ripped through India's batting order, accounting for four wickets. Notably, he conceded just nine runs in his first 10 overs. Olivier wreaked havoc in the first session, removing Pujara and Rahane. Both Olivier and Rabada recorded figures of 3/64.
All-rounder R Ashwin, who came in at number seven, played a pivotal knock. He scored 46 off 50 balls with the help of 6 fours. Meanwhile, Bumrah remained unbeaten on 14 (11). The latter took the visitors past 200.
India's regular captain Virat Kohli is missing the Johannesburg Test. Stand-in captain Rahul, at the toss, revealed that the former has an upper back spasm. Middle-order batter Vihari replaced Kohli in the batting order. The team management preferred Vihari over Shreyas Iyer as the latter had a stomach bug. Meanwhile, Bumrah is Team India's vice-captain for the match.
Olivier took his 50th wicket in Test cricket after dismissing Rahane. He now has 51 wickets from 11 Tests at an incredible average of 19.37. As per Cricbuzz, Rahul is the first Indian since Mohammad Azharuddin (in 1990) to lead India in Tests before taking over in white-ball cricket (internationals). Rahul was recently appointed India's captain for the ODI series in South Africa.
India received a blow in the final few minutes on Day 1. Fast bowler Mohammed Siraj walked off the field after delivering the fifth ball. He stopped right before releasing the ball. Siraj seemed to be in trouble with a hamstring issue.
