Chasing a daunting total of 305, South Africa did not surrender to a fierce Indian pace attack. The hosts lost four wickets in the tricky run chase but their skipper Dean Elgar stood tall in the middle leading the charge. On Day 5, India will need to take six more wickets to win the first Test and take a 1-0 lead in three-Test series.
Mohammed Shami got the first wicket with the new ball. Once again, opener Aiden Markram was undone by a peach of a delivery by Shami. Markram got out after scoring just a single in the run chase. Keegan Petersen looked solid for a while but Mohammed Siraj induced an outside edge off his bat as wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant took a regulation catch.
While Elgar continued to score from one end, Rassie van der Dussen blocked and blocked. While Van der Dussen was cautious while leaving the ball or defending it right under his bat, Jasprit Bumrah broke the shackles as he angled one into the stumps. The right-handed batter shouldered arms as the ball hit the woodwork. He faced 65 deliveries to score 11 runs.
Keshav Maharaj came in as the nightwatchman. Elgar remained unfazed and completed his 18th Test half-century with a boundary towards square leg. Maharaj got knocked over by Bumrah off the last ball of the day by a brilliant yorker. Elgar remained unbeaten on 52 off 117 deliveries.
Earlier India’s second innings did not last too long. The message was clear. India needed to score runs quickly and set a target over 300. Rishabh Pant top-scored for India with a run-a-ball 34. Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen picked up four wickets each whereas Lungi Ngidi took two wickets.
