IND vs SA 2nd test: Wicket-fest in newlands

CAPE TOWN: Mohammed Siraj got six wickets in a breathtakingly menacing morning spell but to his horror found India losing six wickets in a space of eleven balls in the final session before regaining the advantage against South Africa on a rivetting day one of the second Test here.

In the mid of second session, India were 153/4 with a lead of 98, with Virat Kohli pulling and driving off Kagiso Rabada to pick boundaries with aplomb. Lungi Ngidi, who looked off-colour and conceded 30 runs from five overs, changed the course of the game with a three-wicket maiden over, and waking up the Cape Town crowd from sleep.

There were six Indian batters, who failed to open their accounts and one who remained not out also didn’t trouble the scorer, making it a statistician’s nightmare.

Lungi Ngidi (3/30) and Kagiso Rabada (3/38) got five of those six wickets keeping the lead below 100 and gaining the necessary psychological advantage as 23 wickets fell on the opening day.

South Africa were more cautious despite being aggressive as they scored 62 for three in their second innings at stumps to bring down the deficit to 36 runs. Any chance of the match going into the third day looks remote.

On a Newlands track that offered steep bounce and would certainly come under the ICC match referee Chris Broad’s radar. Between shoulder blades to lower abdomen, batters got hit everywhere as the bounce became variable towards the end of the day.

BRIEF SCORES: South Africa 55 in 23.2 overs (Mohammed Siraj 6/15) vs India 153 in 34.5 overs (Virat Kohli 46, Kagiso Rabada 3/38, Lungi Ngidi 3/30, Nandre Burger 3/42); end of 1st innings; South Africa (2nd innings) 62/3 in 17 overs