Ind vs SA: Spin-friendly pitch boomerangs on Kohli's boys, 12 wickets fall on day 1

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New Delhi: Team India's strategy to have a spin friendly wicket hit seemed to have boomeranged on the Indian batsmen. Virat Kohli had no hesitation to bat first after winning the toss.

However the Indian batsmen failed to capitalise as Shikhar Dhwan went back to pavilion without opening his account.   The first day of the first test match between India and South Africa produced a flurry of wickets. A total of 12 wickets were lost in the first day.

Team India was bowled out for just 201 runs while South Africa also started badly as they lost two wickets with just 28 runs being scored. It is rare thing to happen in Indian wickets. 

The last time that 12 wickets fell on the first day of a test match was in 2013-14 when West Indies was playing against India. India won that match by an innings and 126 runs.

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A lot was said about the pitch after India lost to South Africa in the fifth and final ODI with Team India's management alleging that the pitch suited the South African players more than their Indian counterparts.

Mohali is said to have one of the better pitches in India which give every players a chance to demonstrate their skills during the test match. However South African part-time spinner Dean Elgar turned out to be the unlikely hero.

It was left-arm spinner Elgar's impressive figures of 4-22 that spun a web against an Indian line-up that failed to show application in mostly overcast conditions on a slow and low wicket.

It was Ashwin (20 not out) and Jadeja's (38) valuable 42-run eight-wicket partnership was also responsible for taking the score past the 200-run mark.

India lost two wickets in quick succession between overs 38 and 40. Rahane was the first to go following an expansive drive off a looping delivery that pitched outside the off-stump, the edge flying to first slip.

Elgar struck again on the very first delivery of his next over, sending back wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha to be on a hat-trick.

Most wickets falling on opening day of a Test in India: