On the first day of the second Test against South Africa, South Africa was 35 for one at stumps in response to India's 202 all out. At the end of the game, Dean Elgar and Keegan Petersen were batting on 11 and 14, respectively.
After reaching 146 for five at tea, India scored 56 runs for the loss of five wickets in the fourth session. The visitors' top-scorer was stand-in skipper K L Rahul (50), while R Ashwin (46) played an important knock near the finish of the innings.
South Africa's left-arm pacer Marco Jansen (4/31) was the standout bowler, with Duanne Olivier (3/64) and Kagiso Rabada (3/64) also contributing to the end of the Indian innings.
Roller-coaster match
Virat Kohli, the regular captain, experienced an upper back spasm prior to the second Test and hence did not play in Johannesburg. Rahul, who served as stand-in vice-captain when Rohit Sharma was rested for the Test series, was asked to lead India in the second Test, with India aiming for a historic series victory. Rahul is leading an Indian squad in any tournament for the first time.
In a setback for India, in-form seamer Mohammed Siraj appeared to strain his hamstring during his run-up and was forced to leave the field. Captain KL Rahul hit a 133-ball 50 with usual patience and excellence, while Ravichandran Ashwin hit a 46-ball 50, proving his worth as an all-rounder.
Siraj was injured during the final delivery of the 17th Over, the penultimate one before the day's play concluded. Siraj may have made a final dash with full intensity to finish his quota for the day after bowling an impressive 3-Over period of fast bowling.
During his run-up, the 27-year-old pulled himself out in the penultimate moment of his delivery stride and was visible in apparent discomfort and pain in his right leg hamstring. Following the fright, the team physio scampered towards the grass to solve the matter and was spotted just a few minutes later escorting Siraj off the field right away.
Rahul was heard saying "sorry" to Rabada before raising his hand to the umpire in the fifth over of India's first innings. The reason behind this was a late pull out. Rahul walked away just as Rabada was about to begin his delivery stride. The stand-in Indian captain instantly apologized to the slip cordon and said, "Sorry, KG."
Rahul also raised his hand to apologize to umpire Marais Erasmus, who was overheard saying, "Try and be a little quicker please KL."
South Africa's superb beanpole left-arm seamer Marco Jansen took four wickets, while the zippy return man Duanne Olivier and the speedy Kagiso Rabada both took three.
South Africa maintained their aggressive approach as Duanne Olivier replaced the out-of-form Cheteshwar Pujara for only three runs. Olivier's extra bounce resulted in the ball ballooning towards the spot where Temba Bavuma grabbed a proper catch.
In the following delivery, Olivier dismissed another out-of-sorts batter, Ajinkya Rahane, for a golden duck. Rahane became Duanne Olivier's 50th Test scalp, leaving India reeling at 49 for 3.
South Africa concluded the day with a total of 35-1, losing by 167 runs, with Dean Elgar (11*) and Keegan Petersen (14*) at the crease.
