Twitter Reactions: South Africa in driver's seat courtesy Dean Elgar, need 122 runs with 8 wickets in hand

A stubborn Dean Elgar once again kept the Indian bowling attack at bay.

By R Sai Siddhharth

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4 Min Read

Dean Elgar and Keegan Petersen
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Dean Elgar and Keegan Petersen. (Photo by PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty Images)

A stubborn Dean Elgar once again kept the Indian bowling attack at bay. The left-hander stood up for his side and scored 46* off 121 deliveries, and the Proteas will surely be the happier side at the end of Day 3.

Aiden Markram and Elgar put on a good partnership of 47 runs for the opening wicket. Markram looked good in his 38-ball stay, but just when it looked like he would kick on and score big, the right-hander was trapped in front of the stumps by Shardul Thakur for 31.

Keegan Petersen was impressive in his 44-ball stay and contributed 28 runs. However, Ravichandran Ashwin’s guile proved to be his undoing, and he was also dismissed leg before wicket. However, Elgar and Rassie van der Dussen played out the remaining overs without much fuss, as the hosts ended the day with their scoreboard reading 118/2.

Pujara and Rahane stand up for India

Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane started the day for the Indian side in excellent fashion. Both these veterans were severe on any loose delivery from the South African bowlers, and also scored runs at a good pace as well.

Both Pujara and Rahane scored their respective half-centuries and put on a timely partnership of 111 runs for the 3rd wicket. Rahane displayed purity in his batting. He timed the ball in superb fashion, and when the bowlers went fractionally short he used the depth of the crease, maneuvered the ball in the gaps, and imposed his will on the opposition.

Pujara too scored runs at a fair pace, and when the 2 batters were out in the middle, it looked as if India would dominate South Africa for the rest of the day. However, Rahane’s dismissal led to a collapse in the batting order.

Ajinkya Rahane falls, and India collapse

Kagiso Rabada bowled a short delivery that squared Rahane up, the ball took a thin edge, and landed into the hands of the wicket-keeper. Rabada then caught Pujara plumb in front of the stumps. And the right-hander walked back for 53.

Rishabh Pant then threw his wicket away. To a short delivery from Rabada, Pant went for a wild hoick, edged the ball to the keeper, and walked back for a duck. Ravichandran Ashwin was snaffled by Lungi Ngidi and departed after contributing just 16 runs.

Shardul Thakur took the attack to the Proteas and played some cracking shots. A scorching cover drive off Marco Jansen was followed by a sizzling cut shot that raced past point. However, in a bid to up the ante, Thakur perished. To a short delivery from Jansen, Thakur went for the pull and holed out to deep square leg.

South Africa then scalped the final 3 Indian wickets quickly, as the visitors were bowled out for 266.

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