Captain Virat Kohli looked frustrated, as did his team-mates at the end of another exciting day of cricket in Cape Town as the Test series seemed to be slowly but surely slipping away from India. Despite a great one-on-one performance from Rishabh Pant on Day 3 of Test 3, India are at risk of returning home from the Rainbow Nation empty-handed.
India have never won a Test series in South Africa and that may well remain so after Friday’s action at Newlands as Dean Elgar and Keegan Petersen helped the hosts end Day 3 of the stark series decider in a commanding position.
Cape Town Test Day 3 highlights
India took the big wicket to Dean Elgar with Thursday’s final delivery, but Keegan Petersen remained undefeated at 48 as South Africa went to Stumps on Day 3 with 101/2. They need 111 to go to win the Cape Town Test and make a stunning comeback after winning the series.
Elgar’s wicket should give India hope, but the visitors will need a Herculean effort as South Africa travel with plenty of confidence after successfully chasing 240 from 7 wickets in Johannesburg a week ago.
Keegan Petersen will be looking to continue his glorious form even if Virat Kohli’s men need a special bowling effort to defend 111 on Day 4.
INDIA LOSES FOCUS INSIDE BLUNT MICROPHONE
India tried everything to break the stand between Elgar and Petersen, but the two South African batsmen showed courage and staying power as they fended off a hungry Indian bowling attack in the final session after Mohammed Shami took the wicket from Aiden Markram early on.
Also read: Virat Kohli slammed for angry stump mic rant
The pacers fired their hearts out, R Ashwin tested the edges and even the substitutes chimed in with “synchronized clapping”, but Elgar and Petersen frustrated India with a 78-run streak going into the 3rd Test and the series could well be crucial.
Virat Kohli continued to rant at the stump mic after a LBW decision in the over by R Ashwin to Dean Elgar was overturned by the third referee. It looked like India lost discipline and focus after Elgar’s escape towards the end of the day, as South Africa accumulated fast runs and pounced on India’s frequent errors.
The bounce of the pitch – a key factor in Dean Elgar’s successful rating.#SAvIND pic.twitter.com/GI2rXjgjwd
– SuperSport (@SuperSportTV) January 13, 2022
PANT 100* LIFTS INDIA DESPITE SENIOR PROFESSIONALS FAIL
Earlier in the day, India put up another ordinary hitting show, only to be saved by Rishabh Pant’s spectacular hundreds that helped India extend their lead past 200 in the 2nd inning. Pant went unbeaten to 100 after running out of partners when he became the first Indian wicketkeeper to reach a Test hundred in South Africa.
While Pant went unbeaten with 100 balls, the next best result from Indian camp was Virat Kohli’s patient 29 balls from 143 balls. Older batsmen Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara may not play for India in the next Test as they appear to have run out of chances.
India was rocked early in the day when Pujara (9) and Rahane (1) fell in back-to-back overs leaving India at 56 for 4.
However, with Kohli playing second fiddle and Pant showing controlled aggression, India had a 94 run streak for the 5th wicket.
However, after Kohli fell while chasing a long-range delivery from Lungi Ngidi, India’s lower middle class were blown away as R Ashwin and Shardul Thakur didn’t cause much trouble for the scorers.
Rishabh Pant stayed on and slapped his tail beautifully as he hit 4 sixes and 6 boundaries for his 100, not in just 139 deliveries. The young wicketkeeper proved his critics wrong once again when he was criticized for throwing down his wicket in India’s defeat in Johannesburg last week.
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