India managed to pull things back in the Newlands Test by Lunch on Day 3 after Rishabh Pant and Virat Kohli bailed them out with a vital stand. Pant joined skipper Kohli in just the second over of the day after South Africa roared back in style. The visitors were jolted very early in the day when Cheteshwar Pujara made the long walk back after just two deliveries.
It took a brilliant effort on the field at leg gully from Keegan Petersen, who dived full length to grab the chance after Pujara had tucked away a short delivery behind. If that wasn’t enough, Ajinkya Rahane then received a brute of a delivery from Kagiso Rabada as it pitched and took off to take the glove on its way to the keeper. Kyle Verreynne couldn’t grab it but Dean Elgar ensured the chance didn’t go down.
Losing two key wickets in the opening two overs once again cast doubts over the futures of Pujara and Rahane but India had bigger issues to address at that point in time. The lead was only 73 and a golden opportunity to win a series in this part of the world was fast evaporating. However, South Africa couldn’t capitalise on the situation as Pant counter-attacked at one end to extend the lead.
The wicketkeeper-batsman came into this Test match under criticism for his performance in the series so far and he responded in the best possible manner. He hit Rabada for a couple of boundaries right at the start to signal his intentions and ensured that his aggression was controlled. He stepped down the track to Duanne Olivier in style to smash him through the covers and even hit Keshav Maharaj over long on for a six even though a fielder was stationed near the boundary.
Eventually, he brought up a vital half-century to put India in control once again. At the other end, Kohli repeated his first innings heroics. The Indian skipper was more than happy to leave everything outside off and play the waiting game. Kohli’s vigil has now seen him bat more than 300 balls in this Test match and the hosts would need a special delivery to send him back to the pavilion. They would hope to get the job done as soon as possible with the lead already swelling to 143.
Brief scores: India 223 & 130/4 (Rishabh Pant 51*, Virat Kohli 28*; Marco Jansen 2-25) lead South Africa 210 by 143 runs.
