Captain Kohli keeps India afloat with a fighting 85
By Chetan NarulaCenturion, Jan 14 (PTI) Skipper Virat Kohli scored afighting 85 to keep India afloat on the day two of the secondcricket Test against South Africa, here today.
Kohli held together India's innings with a classyunbeaten 85 which came off 130 balls and was studded witheight boundaries.
Hardik Pandya (11 not out) was giving Kohli company atthe crease as India reached 183 for five in 61 overs in theirfirst innings at stumps in reply to South Africa's 335 allout.
The duo added 19 runs for the unbeaten sixth wicket.
The visitors, who are down 0-1 in the three-match series,still trail South Africa by another 152 runs.
Barring Kohli, opener Murali Vijay scored a gritty 46 off126 balls before being dismissed by left-arm spinner KeshavMaharaj.
When rest of the Indian batsmen looked in littlediscomfort against the South African bowling attack, Kohli wasat his positive best as he played his drives and pulls withconsummate ease from the onset.
Kohli, who faced flak because of lack of runs in thefirst Test and his selection decisions in the ongoing match,paced his innings to perfection and attacked the Proteabowlers when opportunity came his way.
Together with Vijay, Kohli added 79 runs for the thirdwicket as India crossed 100 in the 33rd over.
But South Africa got the breakthrough soon when Vijay wascaught behind off Maharaj (1/53).
Kohli, meanwhile, scored his 16th Test half-century off68 balls and was inclusive of seven boundaries.
The skipper also added 25 runs with Rohit Sharma (10) forthe fourth wicket.
But Rohit once again fell cheaply, out lbw to KagisoRabada (1/33). The batsman went for review but was given outon umpire's call with the ball clipping the top of middlestump.
Lungi Ngidi (1/26) then had Parthiv Patel (19) caughtbehind in the 54th over to reduce India to 164 for five.
Patel had put on 32 runs with Kohli for the fifth wicketbut became Ngidi's maiden Test wicket just as the inningsstarted to look stable.
Pandya then joined Kohli in the middle and the duomanaged to see off the remainder of the session without anyfurther loss.
Earlier in the post lunch session, Vijay and KL Rahul(10) started watchfully against South Africa's pacers. Theyadded 28 runs for the opening stand.
Rahul had looked rusty, particularly against MorneMorkel's (1-24) bounce, and only ended up returning a catch,which the bowler grabbed in a diving effort to the left.
Immediately on the next ball, Cheteshwar Pujara was run-out for his career's first golden duck as he set off on asuicidal run and failed to beat Lungi Ngidi's throw from mid-on.
Vijay too had a couple nervy moments against VernonPhilander but managed to survive the spell. He thensettled down to aid Kohli in India's recovery.
India crossed 50 in the 16th over as Kohli looked in goodtouch from the very start. He set off with a flurry ofboundaries and quickly outscored Vijay. The duo put on 50 runsoff 101 balls.
Ngidi bowled a fiery first four-over spell on Testdebut, egged on by the home crowd, but he couldn't etch out abreakthrough before tea.
This was after South Africa were bowled out for 335 runs(113.5 overs) in their first innings just before lunch. RAshwin finished with 4/113 and Ishant Sharma took 3/46 as theProteas lost their last seven wickets for 89 runs.
Starting from overnight 269/6, Faf du Plessis (63) andKeshav Maharaj (18) took their seventh wicket stand to 31runs.
India wasted their last DRS review early in the day asJasprit Bumrah (0/60) looked for an early LBW call againstMaharaj.
Mohammed Shami (1/58) bowled a lively spell and got thebreakthrough with Maharaj caught behind in the 99th over.
India made a double howler in the 104th over. First,Kagiso Rabada (on 1) was dropped at slip off Ashwin by Kohli.
On the very next ball, Rabada (on 3) was again dropped byPandya at point as Shami obstructed him whilst running in fromshort third-man.
South Africa then crossed 300 in the 106th over, while duPlessis reached his 17th Test half-century off 127 balls. Indoing so, he put on 42 runs with Rabada (11).
India finally got the delayed breakthrough in the 111thover as Pandya held a smart catch off Ishant in the deep. Twoovers later, Ishant also bowled du Plessis to change thecourse of the morning session again.
Ashwin then wrapped up the South African innings as MorneMorkel (6) holed out to long off. PTI CN BSSSC.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.