Mohammad Shami fires India to position of strength vs South Africa in 1st Test at Centurion

The right-arm fast bowler Mohammad Shami became only the fifth bowler from India to claim 200 wickets in Test cricket on Tuesday, while recording his sixth five-wicket haul in the format to give his team a huge advantage in the form of a 130-run lead in the first innings in the first Test against South Africa being played at the SuperSport Park in Centurion.  

For a team that is on the mend, South Africa were bowled out for 197 in reply to India's first innings total of 327, and were trailing by a grand total of 146 runs at stumps on the third day. South Africa had produced a strong comeback on the third day morning after the second day's play was washed out due to rains, bundling India out for a total of 327 after the visiting side resumed at 272/3 with KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane at the crease.

With the pitch at Centurion getting quicker than it was on the first day, the South African bowlers Lungi Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada, fresh from a day's break thanks to persistent rains on Monday, found plenty of support from the surface in order to run through India’s remaining batting inside a session and leave the game in balance. 

Rahul could add only one run to his overnight total of 122 to be dismissed by  Rabada, who had him caught behind by Quinton de Kock off a delivery that rose sharply on the batsman even though it was drifting down the leg side.

The dismissal of Rahul opened the floodgates for India, a team as susceptible to batting collapses as any despite their top-ranking in listing. Rahane was removed from the equation with Ngidi getting a delivery to rise sharply on the embattled India batsman, who found the ball too close to his body and could not prevent getting an edge. With that wicket, Ngidi was on his way to record yet another five-wicket haul.

Rahane, who had adopted an aggressive approach with the bat with his back firmly pressed against the wall, was unfortunate to have missed out on a deserving half-century when Ngidi had him caught behind for 48, for which the Indian batsman faced 102 balls and hit 9 boundaries in the process.

The South Africans did smart work against aggressive and compulsory stroke-player in wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, setting a short leg in place just like they did against India No 3 Cheteshwar Pujara. Pant, forced by habit to feel every ball with the bat, obliged the short-leg fielder with a catch to be dismissed for 8 as Ngidi targeted it perfectly on the left-handed batsman's body, forcing him to play.

Before Pant fell, there were the dismissals of Ravichandran Ashwin and Shardul Thakur, who both made 4 runs each and were snaffled by Rabada. Ngidi claimed one more wicket in the form of Shami, who was trying to look aggressive whereas Jasprit Bumrah was the sole dismissal in the innings for left-arm tall South Africa fast bowler Marco Jansen.

For all the hard work they did with the bat on the opening day of the series for the Freedom Trophy 2021, India cut a sorry figure on Tuesday morning. The visiting side lost 7 wickets for only 55 runs while suffering a batting collapse, showing inexplicable hurry in order to get runs and eventually losing an opportunity to put South Africa under pressure with a huge first-innings score.

India's inability to get close to 400 also meant that they had to come back to bat again later on the third day, when South Africa themselves produced a horrendous show with the bat that undid all hardwork done by their pacers earlier in the day, letting India grab control of the game once again.

Bumrah, before he was forced off the field owing to an ankle strain, rocked the home team in the first over when he produced an unplayable delivery that went across the left-handed South Africa captain Dean Elgar, who could not prevent an edge carrying to Pant behind the wickets.

Shami took charge of running through the South Africa middle-order as he went through the defence of both Aiden Markram (13) and Keegan Petersen (15), and also accounted for South Africa vice captain Temba Bavuma, who produced a fighting half-century on the third day afternoon, scoring 52 from 103 balls with the help of 10 boundaries.

While Bavuma fought hard with the bat for South Africa, he also did well to add 72 runs for the fifth wicket with de Kock after South Africa were left tottering at 32/4 at one stage. Thakur brought an abrupt end to their association and provided India with a crucial breakthrough when he had de Kock chopping one on to his wickets after facing 63 balls for 34 runs for which he struck 3 boundaries and a six.

The remainder of South Africa batting could not pose any sort of threat whatsoever to the Indian bowlers, folding for 197 in 62.3 overs. Shami, who recorded his five-wicket haul, accounted for Markram, Petersen, Bavuma as well as Wiaan Mulder (12) and Rabada (25), who did well in their rights to push South Africa close to the 200-run mark,

India took a lead of 130 runs in the first innings with Shami returning with figures of 16-5-44-5. The senior India fast bowler was impeccable with his line and lengths, using the seaming conditions to his benefit while also applying the short-ball tactics ocassionally to his full use. 

Bumrah took 2/16 from 7.2 overs as he was forced off the field owing to an ankle sprain which he suffered while following-through after a delivery. Thakur did take a couple of wickets in his 11 overs, but was expensive as he gave away 51 runs — at an economy of more than 4 runs per over. Mohammed Siraj got one wicket in the form of Rassie van der Dussen.

India reached 16/1 at stumps having lost their opening batsmen Mayank Agarwal for 4, who was removed by Jansen at last, caught by de Kock. These two South African players haf failed to remove Agarwal in the first innings in somewhat similar manner, with the Indian opener going on to score a fine 60.

Rahul (5*) and nightwatchman Thakur (4*) took India at stumps with an overall lead of 146 runs.