Also Read: India slump to their biggest defeat on South African soil in Test history

SA’s Nandre Burger celebrates KL Rahul’s wicket yesterday. Pic/Getty Images

Poll

Who will win the Punjab Elections?

BJP 32.76%

AAP 43.10%

INC 24.14%

Submit

View All In Poll

Kohli wages lone battle

Even South Africa must have been pleasantly surprised at the rapidity with which India’s batsmen departed the crease, in unseemly hurry as strokes were played with gay abandon. Virat Kohli’s stylish 76 was no more than a consolation, the top-order fired out as much because of their adventurism as the discipline of the South African bowling.

As is to be expected, there were a clutch of excellent deliveries, including the one from Kagiso Rabada in the third over that slanted into Rohit Sharma and seamed away on pitching to hit off-stump, but there were also outlandish strokes with no respect for the game situation or the conditions. South Africa put down two catches, including off the first delivery of the Indian second innings when Aiden Markram failed to grab an offering low to his right at first slip off Yashasvi Jaiswal. Yet, India continued to look a gift horse in the mouth, failing to tread the thin line between aggression and indiscretion judiciously.

Debutant Burger claims four

That only two batsmen, Kohli and Shubman Gill, topped double digits must also be a source of worry. South Africa’s pace battery did just about enough, but they didn’t need to do more, not with India in such generous wicket-surrendering mode after having seen the opposition pile on the runs. Nandre Burger, who had an excellent debut, finished with four wickets while Jansen added to his career-best unbeaten 84 with a three-wicket burst including the scalps with identical full balls of Gill and Shreyas Iyer.

Jansen had taken the lead role in the morning when South Africa resumed at 256 for five in reply to India’s 245. The game was still in the balance but there was no joy for India’s bowlers as the sixth-wicket alliance burgeoned to 111. Jasprit Bumrah was tireless and unflagging and R Ashwin asked tricky questions on a seam-friendly surface, but the other pacers again disappointed, too full or too short and mercilessly punished.

Elgar’s seven-and-a-quarter-hour vigil that fetched him 185 was finally ended by Shardul Thakur. India finished well short of that tally in their second dig, comprehensively schooled by the hosts.

Brief scores
India 245 & 131 all out (V Kohli 76; N Burger 4-33, M Jansen 3-36, K Rabada 2-32) lost to South Africa 408 (D Elgar 185, M Jansen 84', D Bedingham 56; J Bumrah 4-69, M Siraj 2-91) by an innings and 32 runs