India Vs South Africa 2019/20: First Test (Day Two) – High-Scoring India Are In Driving Seat After Visitors’ Early Batting Collapse
Oct 3, 2019 at 5:52 PM
The hosts India are in the driving seat against South Africa at the end of the day two of the first Test of the three-match Test series at Visakhapatnam.
At the end of that day, the visitors were struggling on 39/3. Earlier, the hosts India declared their first innings on 502/7. India are leading by 463 runs.
Indian openers Mayank Agarwal and Rohit Sharma started the day two on the overnight score of 202/0. Both the batsmen carried their strong partnership in the morning session. Before the first hour of the day, Mayank completed his maiden Test century in 204 balls.
Rohit started the day on 115 runs and completed his 150 runs in 224 balls. He was stumped out after scoring 176 runs in 244 balls. The right-handed batsman hit 23 fours and six sixes in that innings. Before that wicket, the Indian openers provided an incredible 317-run partnership. It was India’s first 300+ Test partnership against South Africa. At lunch, India were batting on 324/1.
Cheteshwar Pujara (6 runs) lost his wicket on the very first ball of the second session. Proteas pacer Vernon Philander bowled him with the perfect outswinger.
Mayank Agarwal scored a double century
However, Mayank Agarwal remained solid in his batting. The 28-year-old reached the 150-run mark in 294 balls. After the 53 runs partnership for the third wicket, Indian captain Virat Kohli (20 runs) lost his wicket. Kohli became the first victim of the debutant Senuran Muthusamy who dismissed the Indian captain through the caught and bowled method.
Later, Mayank completed his double-century in 358 balls. Once again, Mayank provided 54 runs partnership for the fourth wicket with the Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane. Soon after Rahane (15 runs) lost his wicket, Dean Elgar dismissed Mayank on his very first over of the match. Mayank scored 215 runs off 371 balls (23 fours and six sixes). At the tea break, India were batting on 450/5.
In the early third session of the day, Hanuma Vihari (10 runs) and Wriddhiman Saha (21 runs) lost their wickets but Ravindra Jadeja played a good cameo of unbeaten 30 runs off 46 balls (one six). India finally declared their first innings after crossing the 500 runs mark.
Among the visitors, only the left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj managed to take more than one wicket. He had the bowling figures of 55-6-189-3. The left-arm spinner dismissed Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Hanuma Vihari.
The spinners put India on top
In reply, South African top-order batsmen hugely struggled in the late third session of the day. While the off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is playing his first Test in this calendar year (2019), he took 13 balls to claim his first Test wicket in 2019. He bowled the opener Aiden Markram, who managed to score only five runs.
Later, Ashwin collected another wicket after the wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha grabbed a superb catch of Theunis de Bruyn (4 runs). In the very next over, the left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja bowled the nightwatchman Dane Piedt (0).
Another Proteas opener Dean Elgar was the only South African batsman who batted strongly on that evening session. At the stumps on day two, Elgar remained not out on 27 runs while Temba Bavuma was batting on 2 runs.