Starting the day at 16/1, none of the Indian batsmen went on to score a century but useful contributions from the lineup helped them set a target of 305 at SuperSport Park in Centurion. Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen picked up four wickets each whereas Lungi Ngidi scalped a couple to bundle out India for 174 in 50.3 overs
India will have more than four sessions to bundle out South Africa and take a 1-0 lead in the three-Test series with the Boxing Day Test win until and unless weather plays spoilsport on the last day.
For India, Rishabh Pant top-scored with a run-a-ball 34 including six fours. Pant got out in a strange manner playing a half-hearted shot off Rabada. Ajinkya Rahane and Ravichandran Ashwin contributed with 20 and 17 respectively with a strike rate over 80 as India looked to score runs quickly.
Opener KL Rahul scored 23 runs whereas Shardul Thakur scored 10. Rabada got rid of nightwatchman Shardul Thakur early whereas Ngidi dismissed KL Rahul, the centurion of first innings. Cheteshwar Pujara disappointed again with a score of 16 after a golden duck in the first innings. Virat Kohli too failed to make a mark and got out for 18. This is the second consecutive year Kohli has not been able to score a century across all formats.
Record-breaking run chase needed
The hosts face an uphill task as they need 305 runs against an in-form Indian fast bowling lineup on a pitch that has extra bounce with deliveries spitting off the surface. The highest successful run chase in Centurion belongs to England who scored 251/8 against South Africa in 2000. On the other hand, the highest run chase on South African soil belongs to the hosts. They chased down a total of 340 in Durban more than 19 years ago against Australia.
