Mohali: India's premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin hoodwinked the South African top-order to bag 4 wickets this morning and leave the visitors reeling at 127 for five at lunch on Day 2 of the first cricket Test here today.
Ashwin (4-36), who had sent opener Stiaan van Zyl (5) back in the pavilion on the opening day, got the prized wickets of overnight batsmen Dean Elgar (37), Hashim Amla (43) and then Dane Vilas (1). The Proteas are still 74 short of India's first innings score of 201.
AB De Villiers (26), who is fighting on alongwith Vernon Philander (2), got a lucky reprieve in the 25th over of the day after Ravindra Jadeja induced an outside edge of the star player's bat and Virat Kohli took a clean catch but replays showed that the left-arm spinner had overstepped the popping crease.
De Villiers had nearly walked back to the pavillion when the umpires stopped him and repeated replays confirmed the no-ball, much to the visiting team's delight.
But that joy was shortlived as Amla, who had batted well during his 97-ball stay, was stumped off Ashwin in the very next over.
Three deliveries later Ashwin also got Vilas back in the pavilion to leave the visitors struggling.
Earlier, starting on their overnight score of 28 for two, Amla and Elgar mixed caution and aggression to make steady progress on a slow and low I.S. Bindra Stadium wicket.
The duo batted with poise and vigilance to stitch a 76-run third-wicket partnership against a bowling attack that was backed by close in fielders.
If leg-spinner Amit Mishra operated with a slip, leg-slip and short-leg, then Ashwin, who was introduced into the attack in the ninth over of the day, put pressure with two slips and a silly point to start with.
Elgar was dropped by Saha, albeit a tough chance for the wicketkeeper, after the ball skid through the bat's edge and Mishra's first genuine LBW appeal against Elgar was also turned down by Umpire Kumar Dharamsena.
Ashwin also tested Amla with his flight and one of them caught the right-hander's inside edge only to fall short of leg-slip.
The batsmen on their part kept squeezing in the occasional boundaries to keep the scoreboard ticking in a game where even a 50-run lead would be crucial.
Ashwin finally got Elgar, who was the opening day hero with a four-wicket haul, to commit an error after the left-hander tried to slog-sweep against the turn and ended up giving away a catch to backward point. Elgar's hard-working 123-ball stay at the wicket was laced with just two boundaries.
The visitors scored 99 runs in 29 overs bowled in the first session of play.
