South Africa 62 for three at stumps on Day 1, trail India by 36 runs

Mohammed Siraj got six wickets in a breathtakingly menacing morning spell but to his horror found India losing six wickets in a space of eleven balls in the final session before regaining the advantage against South Africa on a rivetting day one of the SA vs IND 2nd TestAfter Sirajs careerbest 615 decimated South Africa for their lowest postapartheid score of 55 India were 153 for 4 before losing six wickets without addition of single run in a space of 11 deliveries to end with a 98run leadThere were six Indian batters who failed to open their accounts and one who remained not out also didnt trouble the scorer making it a statisticians nightmareLungi Ngidi 330 and Kagiso Rabada 338 got five of those six wickets keeping the lead below 100 and gaining the necessary psychological advantage as 23 wickets fell on the opening day of the SA vs IND 2nd TestSouth Africa were more cautious despite being aggressive as they scored 62 for three in their second innings at stumps to bring down the deficit to 36 runs Aiden Markram 32 batting looked solid in the middleThe maximum number of wickets lost on Day 1 of a Test is 25 and that happened in an Ashes Test back in 1902Dean Elgar in his last Test match would like to forget that he got out twice in a days play while Mukesh Kumar 20 and 225 was rewarded for consistently pitching the ball in right areas getting enough away movement against southpawsAny chance of the match going into the third day looks remoteAlso ReadThank you WarnerOn a Newlands track that offered steep bounce and would certainly come under the ICC match referee Chris Broads radar the red Kookaburra ball took off like jumbo jet from the length making it impossible for batters to surviveBetween shoulder blades to lower abdomen batters got hit everywhere as the bounce became variable towards the end of the dayRohit Sharma 39 off 50 balls lived dangerously but smacked seven delicious fours knowing that surviving wont get him anywhere Ditto for Virat Kohli 46 off 59 balls and Shubman Gill 36 off 55 balls who also showed right intentThe talented duo of Yashasvi Jaiswal 0 and Shreyas Iyer 0 from the famed iquestKhadoos School of Mumbai Cricketiquest didnt trouble the scorers after once again being exposed for technical ineptitudeBefore Sirajs special effort the only Indian in countrys 92 year Test history to take five wickets before lunch was leftarm spinner Maninder Singh who achieved the feat against Pakistan in Bengaluru back in 19861987On a humid Wednesday morning South African batters found what a great leveller the game of cricket is with Siraj ripping the heart out of the Proteas batting with a masterclass of pace swing and seam movement The Proteas innings ended in just 232 oversDavid Bedingham 12 and Kyle Verreynne 15 were the only two batters to hit the double digits as the South African supporters in stands were stunned into silenceJasprit Bumrah 225 in 8 overs also kept the pressure from the other end as Indian skipper Rohit Sharma kept his promise of making opposite number Dean Elgars life miserable in his farewell TestMukesh also wrapped the tail up and proved that he is way better than a bits and pieces Shardul Thakur in these conditionsHaving been pilloried for conceding 400 plus runs in the heavy defeat at the Centurion even the biggest of Indian supporters wouldnt have envisaged such a roaring comeback from the bowlersSiraj kept the ball on fuller lengths between 46 metres and with bounce got most balls to jag back inFrom the other end Bumrah hit the back of length area as Rohit set completely attacking fields albeit of different natureWhen Siraj bowled initially there was a legslip placed while for Bumrah Rohit himself stood at short legThe procession started with Markram going on a fishing expedition to a delivery that moved in air and shaped away with the opener closing his bat face Yashasvi Jaiswal took a fantastic catch at third slip to send back MarkramThe stodgy Elgar played one to his stumps off Siraj who angled one across on fuller length not giving him enough room to play the cut shotBumrah got young Tristan Stubbs into a tangle and the simple catch was gobbled up by skipper at shortlegTony De Zorzis affinity to whip balls off the hips was exploited as he was caught down the legsideUnlike Centurion there were plans in place and David Bedingham who was fed on the backfoot in the first Test was enticed to go for a drive on length and extra bounce did the trickOnce Marco Jansen edged Siraj to give him his fifth scalp one knew that South Africa would have one of their most embarrassing mornings since return to international cricketWith agency inputs