India’s spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja dominated the opening day as they shared eight wickets to mow down South Africa in the second Test at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore on Saturday.
The Proteas, down 1-0 in the four-match series, were all out for 214 in their first innings. AB de Villiers, playing his 100th Test in the city he represents in the IPL, top scored for the visitors with a defiant 85 that included 11 boundaries and a six.
Chasing the paltry total, India openers Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan raced to 80 for no loss at stumps. Vijay was not out on 28 while Dhawan was unbeaten on 45.
Vijay and Dhawan eased through the final session and placed India on course for a large first-innings total.
Vijay got a reprieve on 21, though, when Imran Tahir spilled a simple catch off Morne Morkel’s bowling at square leg.
The hosts would be particularly happy with Dhawan’s return to form after the southpaw scored a duck in both innings of the first Test.
Earlier, Jadeja (4 for 50) and Ashwin (4 for 70) decimated the South African attack after the visitors were asked to bat by India captain Virat Kohli.
As the start of the day, the Indian fast bowlers stuck to their line and length but the South Africans stuck to their task. But as soon as the spinners came on, the wheels came off the visitors’ batting.
Ashwin, who came on to bowl the eighth over, trapped Stiaan van Zyl (10) leg-before with his second delivery and had Faf du Plessis (0) caught at short-leg by Cheteshwar Pujara off the fifth to make it 15 for 2.
Fast bowler Varun Aaron claimed the key wicket of Hashim Amla (7) in the 15th over, uprooting the captain’s off-stump as the Proteas were reduced to 45 for 3.
De Villiers was welcomed to the crease in his 100th Test appearance with loud cheers from some 15,000 fans who regard him as one of their own due to his stint with the Bangalore team in the Indian Premier League.
De Villiers got off the mark with five runs, courtesy of an overthrow by Indian captain Virat Kohli that raced to the fence.
The South African star followed that with a well-timed on-drive off Aaron for a boundary and pulled Ashwin to the square-leg fence.
De Villiers fought hard and steadied the ship for his side but was running out of partners and as a result missed out on his ton.
Jadeja dealt the biggest blow in the final delivery before the tea break when wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha took a diving, one-handed catch to send back De Villiers on 85.
Post tea, Jadeja and Aswhin cleaned the tail in no time and both ended up with a four wickets each as the visitors were once again crumbled to spin in just two and a half sessions.
India, who lead the four-match series 1-0, made two changes from the side that won the first Test in Mohali, bringing in premier fast bowler Ishant Sharma and all-rounder Stuart Binny in place of Umesh Yadav and Amit Mishra.
South Africa replaced the injured pace duo of Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander with Morne Morkel and Kyle Abbott.
The Proteas also brought in all-rounder JP Duminy, who missed the first Test due to injury, in place of off-spinner Simon Harmer.
