Agency :
22 wickets have fallen in two days on the Mohali dust bowl, but the performances that mattered the most, a five-for by Ashwin and Pujara’s unbeaten half-century, gave India control in the form of a 142-run lead with eight second-innings wickets standing on Friday.
India’s spin trio of Ashwin (5 for 51), Ravindra Jadeja (3 for 55) and Amit Mishra (2 for 35) didn’t allow any relief to the South Africans and wiped out their last eight wickets cheaply, after the hosts started the day at 28/2 – trailing by 173 runs.
En route his 13th five-for in Tests, Ashwin also created history becoming the fastest among Indian bowlers to reach 150 wickets in his 29th Test.
Barring AB de Villiers’ 63, which was also due to Jadeja’s no-ball that had him caught at 7, none of the South African batsmen could leave an impact on a track that Dean Elgar called a “bad” Test wicket.
Of the 68 overs in the Proteas innings, Indian spinners bowled 54 and the two pacers, Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav, were required to bowl just 14. That precisely portrays the nature of the track.
India’s reply in the second innings, leading by 17 runs, didn’t begin on a desired note as Shikhar Dhawan collected his second duck of the innings in an identical dismissal in the slips, off Vernon Philander.
But like in India’s first essay, Vijay and Pujara put their head down for an 86-run stand. The former was unfortunate to be dismissed shortly before stumps, thanks to a stupendous one-handed diving effort by substitute Temba Bavuma at short-leg off Imran Tahir.
But Pujara didn’t miss out on another good start, reaching his seventh Test half-century with a boundary off South Africa’s first-innings hero Elgar.
However, Hashim Amla clearly missed the services of his ace Dale Steyn, who couldn’t bowl on Friday due to a side strain.
22 wickets have fallen in two days on the Mohali dust bowl, but the performances that mattered the most, a five-for by Ashwin and Pujara’s unbeaten half-century, gave India control in the form of a 142-run lead with eight second-innings wickets standing on Friday.
India’s spin trio of Ashwin (5 for 51), Ravindra Jadeja (3 for 55) and Amit Mishra (2 for 35) didn’t allow any relief to the South Africans and wiped out their last eight wickets cheaply, after the hosts started the day at 28/2 – trailing by 173 runs.
En route his 13th five-for in Tests, Ashwin also created history becoming the fastest among Indian bowlers to reach 150 wickets in his 29th Test.
Barring AB de Villiers’ 63, which was also due to Jadeja’s no-ball that had him caught at 7, none of the South African batsmen could leave an impact on a track that Dean Elgar called a “bad” Test wicket.
Of the 68 overs in the Proteas innings, Indian spinners bowled 54 and the two pacers, Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav, were required to bowl just 14. That precisely portrays the nature of the track.
India’s reply in the second innings, leading by 17 runs, didn’t begin on a desired note as Shikhar Dhawan collected his second duck of the innings in an identical dismissal in the slips, off Vernon Philander.
But like in India’s first essay, Vijay and Pujara put their head down for an 86-run stand. The former was unfortunate to be dismissed shortly before stumps, thanks to a stupendous one-handed diving effort by substitute Temba Bavuma at short-leg off Imran Tahir.
But Pujara didn’t miss out on another good start, reaching his seventh Test half-century with a boundary off South Africa’s first-innings hero Elgar.
However, Hashim Amla clearly missed the services of his ace Dale Steyn, who couldn’t bowl on Friday due to a side strain.
