India
reached 16 for one in their second innings at the close, a lead of 146 that
already looks imposing for the home side on a Centurion Park wicket that will
get harder to bat on.
First-innings
centurion KL Rahul (five not out) and nightwatchman Shardul Thakur (four) will
resume on the fourth day trying to quickly move to a score that allows India to
declare and have enough time to bowl the home side out again.
Mayank
Agarwal (four) was the only wicket to fall in India’s second innings as he
edged debutant left-arm seamer Marco Jansen to wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock.
Eighteen
wickets fell on the third day after no play was possible on Monday due to rain.
Shami led
the Indian attack with a superb bowling display, eking out every ounce of
assistance from the helpful conditions.
His haul
included the wicket of South Africa’s top-scorer Temba Bavuma, who had reached
52 when he edged to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.
Bavuma put
on 72 for the fifth wicket with De Kock (34) before the latter tried to guide a
Thakur (2-51) delivery through gully but succeeded only in playing onto his own
stumps.
It was a key
moment in the game that swung the momentum back in India’s favour and exposed
the South African lower order.
All the
Indian seamers were among the wickets, Jasprit Bumrah (2-16) weighing in
despite rolling his ankle and being forced to leave the field. He returned late
on to pick up the last wicket.
Seamer Lungi
Ngidi had earlier taken 6-71 as South Africa made light work of bowling India
out after the visitors resumed on 272 for three.
Ngidi, who
took a career-best 6-39 on debut against India at Centurion in 2018, helped
South Africa claim the last seven wickets for the addition of only 55 runs in
15.3 overs.
