CENTURION: Debutant left-arm pacer Nandre Burger took 4-33 as India crashed to a stunning innings’ defeat to South Africa on day three of the first test on Thursday.
Burger’s burst combined with two wickets each for Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen saw India bowled out for a paltry 131 runs in its second innings. That meant South Africa won the first test by an innings and 32 runs, taking a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
Burger finished with a match haul of 7-83 on his test debut, while Rabada finished with 7-91 across both innings. The latter had picked 5-59 in the first innings.
The Proteas earlier finished the first innings on 408, thanks largely to a marathon 185-run knock from Dean Elgar. India had been bowled out for 245 in its first innings.
Trailing by 163 runs, India’s second innings got off to the worst possible start and never recovered.
Opener Yashaswi Jaiswal had been dropped at slip off the very first ball, but he didn’t survive long. He was caught behind off a rising delivery by Burger for five runs off 18 balls.
Skipper Rohit Sharma was bowled for an eight-ball duck when Rabada broke through his defence in the third over.
Shubman Gill played some attractive shots but was bowled playing across the line against Burger, out for 26 off 37 balls.
Gill had added 39 runs with Kohli for the third wicket. Even so, it wasn’t a comfortable partnership and India went to tea at 62-3.
The procession of wickets continued straight after play resumed as Jansen bowled Shreyas Iyer for six, again playing across the line.
Burger then made quick work of the lower order. First innings’ centurion Lokesh Rahul was caught at second slip. Ravichandran Ashwin hung out his bat on the first ball he faced — caught at gully for a golden duck.
Kohli played some attractive strokes towards the end, and reached 50 off 61 balls. Overall he hit 12 fours and a six, but was unable to complete his century, out caught off Jansen.
India was bowled out in just 34.1 overs across less than two sessions in a hapless batting display.
This was after South Africa added only 16 runs to its first innings post lunch. Skipper Temba Bavuma did not bat owing to his hamstring injury.
Jansen was stranded at 84 not out with Jasprit Bumrah wrapping up the tail with two quick wickets. The pacer finished with 4-69 in an otherwise uninspiring Indian bowling display.