Newlands Test: Pant, Kohli extend India's lead to 143
South African seamers made early inroads in India's batting line-up on Day 3 of the Newlands Test. India lost Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane in the first session. Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant kept India afloat thereafter. The duo extended India's to 143. They helped the visitors regain momentum, adding over 50 runs together. Pant eventually raced to a phenomenal half-century.
How did the first session pan out?
Left-arm seamer Marco Jansen dismissed Pujara on the second delivery of Day 3. Keegan Petersen took an endearing one-handed catch at leg slip. Rabada got rid of Rahane in the very next over. Meanwhile, Kohli and Pant fared well in the rest of the session. While the Indian skipper showed resistance, Pant registered his eighth Test half-century. India finished on 130/4 at lunch.
Rahane's lean patch continues
The lean patch of Rahane continues in Test cricket. He fell on 1 (9) after scoring 9 (12) in the first innings. Rahane has scored just 2,659 runs at 33.23 in his last 50 Test innings. The tally includes four centuries and 16 fifties. The middle-order batter last slammed a century in the Boxing Day Test in 2020.
Pujara fell without adding to his overnight score
Pujara fell on the second delivery of the day. He got dismissed without adding to his overnight score for the seventh time, the most in Test cricket. The likes of Chris Cairns and Jacques Kallis did so six times each.
Pant slams his eighth Test fifty
Rishabh Pant launched his counter-attack after India lost a couple of wickets in the morning session. He continued to play his strokes even though the wicket remained uneven. Pant smashed his eighth half-century in Test cricket just before the lunch break. It was his first Test fifty against South Africa. He returned unbeaten on 51 off 60 deliveries (4 fours and 1 six).
Most Test wickets for SA in debut series (since re-admission)
Rabada and Jansen gave South Africa a terrific start on Day 3. The duo scalped a wicket each in the first session. Jansen, who is playing in his debut Test series, has taken 17 wickets so far. He now has the most wickets for South Africa in the debut series (since re-admission). He broke the record of legend Shaun Pollock (16 vs England, 1995/96).
