With the lead already swelling to 147 runs, it will be a Herculean task for the Indian batters to save the game
Dean Elgar (Pic: AFP)
South African veteran Dean Elgar missed out on a well-deserved maiden double century but inflicted enough damage on India in company of young Marco Jansen to potentially bat the visitors out of the opening Test as Proteas advanced to a mighty 392 for even at lunch on the third day of the SA vs IND 1st Test.
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Elgar (185 off 287 balls), whose previous highest Test score is 199, was inching towards his maiden double hundred before a faint tickle to leg-side bouncer from Shardul Thakur brought about his end. But, that didn't deter the lanky Jansen (72 batting, 119 balls), not exactly famous for his batting prowess, to easily negotiate a deflated Indian attack that looked out of sorts as well bereft of ideas.
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The Elgar-Jansen pair added 111 runs for the sixth wicket. With the lead already swelling to 147 runs, it will be a Herculean task for the Indian batters to save the game. The sun is beating down, odd balls are keeping low and survival isn't an option against a quality Proteas attack.
The Indian bowlers were even more disappointing on the third morning with Shardul Thakur (1/101 in 19 overs) and Prasidh Krishna (1/92 in 19 overs) sprayed all over the place, only to be mercilessly punished by the former Proteas skipper Elgar and the lanky left-arm seamer Jansen.
The pair drove, pulled, cut at their own will and neither the old ball nor the semi-new ball could bring about any change in fortune for the visiting team bowlers.
Jasprit Bumrah (2/59 in 22 overs) and Mohammed Siraj (2/90 in 22 overs) once again were unlucky as they repeatedly beat the bat of Elgar and Jansen but didn't have rub of the green going their way.
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However, Prasidh and Thakur were not only below-par but also missed both line and length. Prasidh was inducted into the squad to hit the deck and generate extra pace off the surface but he missed the trick by consistently bowling length balls. Even someone like Gerald Coetzee dispatched him into the stands.
On a track that demanded bowlers to bend their backs, Thakur literally floated the deliveries, which were hit all around the park. When he started using the short ball tactic, Jansen hooked him for good as he didn't have enough pace to hurry the batter.
The only bowler who came out with his reputation intact was Ravichandran Ashwin, who for most part came from an angular run-up but ended with figures of 1/41 in 18 overs in the SA vs IND 1st Test.
But, even his effort wasn't enough as Prasidh-Shardul duo, having already conceded nearly 200 runs (193 in 38 overs) cumulatively in less than 40 overs, have severely dented their team's chance of redemption.
(With agency inputs)
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