Amit Mishra cleaned up AB de Villiers for the second time in the Test © AFP
South Africa were tottering at 56 for 5 at tea on the third day of the first Test against India, chasing 218 to win at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium in Mohali. Ravindra Jadeja claimed two wickets while Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra and Varun Aaron claimed one wicket each to rattle the South Africans in their second innings as well. At the crease were opening batsmen Stiaan vsn Zyl, who was demoted to No. 6 in this innings as Vernon Philander was sent out to bat by South Africa, and wicketkeeper-batsman Dane Vilas. The tourists needed another 162 runs to win with five wickets in hand, and there will be no surprises if this game ends today itself. Live Cricket Scorecard: India vs South Africa 2015, 1st Test at Mohali
It was a horrendous session for South Africa, which began with India resuming at 185 for eight. India were bowled out after they added 15 more runs to the total, thus reaching 200 runs in their second innings. The target was of 218 runs and it was expected that the Indians would deploy their spinners right away. Live Cricket Blog, India vs South Africa 2015, 1st Test at Mohali, Day 3
For some inexplicable reason, South Africa made an unbelievable change to their batting order. So far in his Test career, Vernon Philander had not been dismissed in fourth innings, and he was promoted at the top as the partner for Dean Elgar. Philander’s quick end was inevitable, as he was trapped in front of the wickets for 1 on the second ball he faced.
The procession began soon: Faf du Plessis was caught in the slip for 1 off 6 balls, and Hashim Amla had a brain freeze as he offered no stroke on a delivery that rammed into the middle stump off Ravindra Jadeja. AB de Villiers tried to counter attack, but he was cleaned up by Amit Mishra for the second time in the Test. De Villiers fell for 16 off 18 balls, striking two boundaries.
Elgar showed lot of application, but generally wayward Varun Aaron had him caught by Virat Kohli on a short ball for 16, as South Africa slipped further. Stiaan van Zyl came out to bat at No. 6, and did well alongwith Dane Vilas to keep the Indians at bay.
Earlier, India set a target of 218 runs against South Africa in the first Test of their four-match Gandhi-Mandela Series 2015, at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium in Mohali on Saturday. India, who had earned a lead of 17 runs in the first innings, were bowled out for 200 runs in their second innings with the specialist spinners Simon Harmer and Imran Tahir claiming four wickets each. South Africa, who were bowled out for a paltry 184 in their first innings, now face an uphill task to chase this daunting target against three-pronged Indian spin attack. There is ample amount of time left in the game and it will be tough for South Africa to hold fort against the Indian spinners.
Brief scores:
India 201 (Murali Vijay 75; Dean Elgar 4 for 22) & 200 (Murali Vijay 47, Cheteshwar Pujara 77; Imran Tahir 4 for 48, Simon Harmer 4 for 61) lead South Africa 184 (Hashim Amla 43, Ab de Villiers 63; Ravichandran Ashwin 5 for 51, Ravindra Jadeja 3 for 55) & 56 for 5 (Dean Elgar 16, AB de Villiers 16; Ravindra Jadeja 2 for 11) by 162 runs.
Full Cricket Scorecard: India vs South Africa 015, 1st Test at Mohali
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