PRETORIA (Reuters) – Young South African seamer Lungi Ngidi took his first Test wicket but India captain Virat Kohli led the resistance for the tourists as they reached 183 for five at the close of day two of the second test in Pretoria on Sunday.
India trail South Africa by 152 runs having bowled their hosts out for 335 just before lunch on a slow wicket that has bounce, but little lateral movement.
Kohli will resume his innings on 85 not out along with all-rounder Hardik Pandya (11 not out) as the pair seek to eke out a first innings lead in the knowledge that batting last on a wicket already showing variable bounce will be a challenge.
India have tried to be positive with the bat, but have lost wickets at regular intervals, with the top seven so far failing to provide support for Kohli.
The openers took the score to 28 before losing their first wicket when Lokesh Rahul (10) was caught and bowled by Morne Morkel, misjudging a delivery that held up on the surface.
They lost another wicket on the next ball when new batsman Cheteshwar Pujara took on the arm of Ngidi at mid-on and lost, run out by a direct hit.
Murali Vijay (46) added 79 for the third wicket with his captain before he edged spinner Keshav Maharaj (1-53) to wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock.
Rohit Sharma (10) was trapped leg before wicket by the world’s leading test bowler Kagiso Rabada (1-33), before Ngidi (1-26) delighted the home crowd with his first test wicket – Parthiv Patel (19) edging to De Kock.
Kohli has played a superb innings in trying to hold the India effort together, scoring at a brisk pace as well with his 85 coming off 130 deliveries.
India had earlier taken the final four South African wickets in their innings for 66 runs in the morning session.
Home captain Faf du Plessis struck a well-compiled 63 before he was bowled by Ishant Sharma (3-46), but the pick of the tourists’ attack was spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who claimed 4-113 and also had three catches dropped off his bowling.
Mohammed Shami became the seventh Indian fast bowler to 100 test wickets when he had Maharaj caught by Patel, the third quickest to reach that mark in his 29th test after Kapil Dev (25 tests) and Irfan Pathan (28).
South Africa lead the three-Test series 1-0 after a 72-run victory in Cape Town in the opening fixture.
SOUTH AFRICA 1st innings
Dean Elgar c Murali Vijay b Ravichandran Ashwin 31
Aiden Markram c Parthiv Patel b Ravichandran Ashwin 94
Hashim Amla Run Out Hardik Pandya 82
AB de Villiers b Ishant Sharma 20
Faf du Plessis b Ishant Sharma 63
Quinton de Kock c Virat Kohli b Ravichandran Ashwin 0
Vernon Philander Run Out Parthiv Patel 0
Keshav Maharaj c Parthiv Patel b Mohammed Shami 18
Kagiso Rabada c Hardik Pandya b Ishant Sharma 11
Morne Morkel c Murali Vijay b Ravichandran Ashwin 6
Lungi Ngidi Not Out 1
Extras 0b 8lb 1nb 0pen 0w 9
Total (113.5 overs) 335 all out
Fall of Wickets : 1-85 Elgar, 2-148 Markram, 3-199 de Villiers, 4-246 Amla, 5-250 de Kock, 6-251 Philander, 7-282 Maharaj, 8-324 Rabada, 9-333 du Plessis, 10-335 Morkel
Bowling: Bumrah 22 – 6 – 60-0, (1nb,)Shami 15- 2- 58-1,
Sharma 22- 4- 46-3, Pandya 16-4-50-0 Ashwin 38.5-10-113-4.
……………………………………………………
INDIA 1st innings
Murali Vijay c Quinton de Kock b Keshav Maharaj 46
Lokesh Rahul c&b Morne Morkel 10
Cheteshwar Pujara Run Out Lungi Ngidi 0
Virat Kohli Not Out 85
Rohit Sharma lbw Kagiso Rabada 10
Parthiv Patel c Quinton de Kock b Lungi Ngidi 19
Hardik Pandya Not Out 11
Extras 0b 1lb 0nb 0pen 1w 2
Total (61.0 overs) 183-5
Fall of Wickets : 1-28 Rahul, 2-28 Pujara, 3-107 Vijay, 4-132 Sharma, 5-164 Patel
To Bat : Ashwin, Shami, Bumrah, Sharma
Bowling: Maharaj 16- 1-53-1, Morkel 15-3-47-1, Philander 9-3-23-0,
Rabada 12-0-33-1, Ngidi 9- 2 – 26-1.