KL Rahul celebrating his century against South Africa in the first Test.
India vs South Africa, 1st Test, Day 1 Live Score Updates from Centurion
Stumps Day 1
India 272/3 in 90 overs India opening batsman KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane made sure that the visitors do not lose more than three wickets on Day 1 of the first Test against South Africa. Rahul is unbeaten on 122 runs in 248 balls while Rahane batting on 40 in 81 balls at the end of Day 1.
India 258/3 in 85 overs Rahane is looking to play positive cricket as he is striking the ball at 53.97. So far he has scored seven boundaries in his innings. The right-hand batsman is punishing the ball outside off and is looking in fine touch. KL Rahul has taken the back seat after completing his century.
India 238/3 in 78 overs India opening batsman KL Rahul who was making comeback into the side after suffering from an injury has hit a century in the first Test. Rahul completed his hundred in 218 balls with the help of 14 boundaries and a six. After the wicket of Virat Kohli, former vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane has joined him in the middle who is batting on 25 runs in 37 balls.
India 199/3 in 68.2 overs Lungi Ngidi picks his 3rd wicket of the match as India captain Virat Kohli's falls after scoring 35 runs in 94 balls. Outside off delivery India captain goes for a drive through covers ends up edging it to the first slip where Wiaan Mulder took a simple catch. Wait for the 71st century by Virat Kohli continues.
India 183/2 in 64 overs Virat and Rahul continue to dominate South Africa's Keshav Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada. India is scoring at a run rate of 2.85 with 26 overs to go on Day 1. Rabada is struggling with his runup as he bowls 4th no-ball of the innings.
Tea Break
India reached 157 for 2 at tea on the first day of the opening Test against South Africa here on Sunday. KL Rahul was going strong on 68 and captain Virat Kohli was giving him company on 19 at the break. Opener Mayank Agarwal made 60 while Cheteshwar Pujara was out for a duck.
India 157/2 in 57 overs Captain Virat Kohli and vice-captain KL Rahul managed to pull India's inning back on track after two losing two wickets on back to back deliveries against Lungi Ngidi. Rahul is playing on 68 while Virat is on 19. Elgar has gone with Keshav Maharaj in the last session. May be slow over rate is on the back of his mind.
India 139/2 in 49 overs India captain and vice-captain are on the crease. KL Rahul completed his fifty and is looking in good touch, he has sent the bad balls to the boundaries and has left deliveries outside off. Captain Kohli is also looking hungry for runs. These two will now have to make sure that India post a big score on the board in the first innings.
India 118/2 in 41 overs Game-changing over by Lungi Ngidi as he removes Mayank Agarwal on 60 to provide South Africa with their first wicket of the day and followed it up with another wicket on the very next ball where he removed out of form Cheteshwar Pujara on a golden duck. Mayank was hit on his pad but the umpire gave it not out. However, Proteas captain Dean Elgar took the review and it was hitting leg stump. While for Pujara, the ball was a bit on the short side and had extra bounce, Pujara failed to place it on the middle of the bat and Keegan Petersen took an excellent catch at short leg.
India 109/0 after 38 overs Hundred partnership up for India. KL Rahul is inching towards fifty while Mayank Agarwal looks determined to make this innings big. He is leaving the outside off deliveries and playing the ball just under his eyes. Impressive batting display by India openers. Dean Elgar is bowling Wiaan Mulder and Lungi Ngidi.
India 92/0 after 31 overs India opener Mayank Agarwal is making most of the opportunity that he got in the first Test as he scored a brilliant fifty on Day 1. The right-hand batsman has hit eight boundaries in his innings so far and will aim to make this a big one. Mayank along with India's newly appointed vice-captain of the Test side, KL Rahul gave India a strong start. The duo is inching towards 100 run partnership for the first wicket. Rahul is batting on 30.
India 58/0 after 20 overs After a nervy start to the innings and to the Test career that was evident by the throw of full-length deliveries, Marco Jansen has taken control of the ball. The Proteas left-arm bowler is now bowling length deliveries with both inswing and the outswing. Mayank got an extra life off Marco Jansen's bowling when the Proteas quick bowled a short of length and slanted delivery. As Mayank nibbles it, he finds an outside edge that goes flying to the right of the keeper- de Kock who fails to pocket it. Seems like that was an easy grab for the first slip than the keeper.
India 42/0 after 15 overs Indian batters- KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal are playing with alot of poise and withstanding the starting conditions that are offering swing to the SA bowlers. The Proteas have put Wiaan Mulder and Marco Jansen to bowl the spell. Mulder is testing Indian batters' patience by bowling deliveries outside the off- the fifth stump region but the visitors are controlling the temptation. Clearly, the batsman are waiting for the Kookaburra ball to age so that they can easily tackle attack when the ball loses shine and hence the ability to swing.
India 32/0 after 10 overs South Africa brings in Marco Jansen for the change of bowling. A high point release from this left-arm pacer brings back unpleasant memories of how Indians have struggled against the likes of Shaheen Afridi and Trent Boult, who belong to the bowling segment. The 21-year-old all-rounder has majorly bowled full length deliveries but has been punished by Mayank as he sailed all towards the boundaries. Meanwhile, with the turf being hard KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal are trying to get the sense of what the pitch is doing while keeping the scoreboard ticking.
India 8/0 after 5 overs: KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal open the innings for India and the Karnataka batsmen have a huge task in their hands. It was a bold call from Virat Kohli to bat first in testing conditions and with no sunshine, it's advantage Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi. The ball is doing a bit with Rabada and Ngidi steaming in with a lot of intensity. Mayank and Rahul have been watchful and the opening pair are steady, judging the line and leaving balls outside the off stump. South Africa took a bizarre review as Rabada appealed for a caught behind and the ball clearly brushed Rahul's left shoulder as he ducked against the rising short delivery. Rahul did extremely well to drop his hands against the lifter and South Africa lose a review, very early in the Test match.
> Virat Kohli's India has won the toss and elected to bat first against SA in Centurion.
Virat Kohli's India is all pumped up for the Boxing Day Test (1st Test) against South Africa in Centurion.
IND vs SA, 1st Test: Team combination on Kohli's mind as India take on South Africa
Skipper Virat Kohli will be battling on multiple fronts with an aim to get the tricky team combination right as India have a real shot at winning their first ever away series against South Africa, which is short on experience going into the contest, starting with the Boxing Day Test.
The choice between an untested rookie like Shreyas Iyer and a proven but out-of-form Ajinkya Rahane for the number five slot, is not an enviable one. It's more like choosing between rock and hard place with fear of unknown being a persistent factor.
Not to mention the hard call on whether Shardul Thakur with far superior skills should be the fifth bowler in place of an 'over the hill' Ishant Sharma.
These are not easiest of decisions to make that require copious amounts of tactical acumen mixed in equal proportion with proper communication skills.
In Mumbai, during the New Zealand Test, the team management could "rest" both Rahane and Ishant on the pretext of niggles but if on Sunday, the duo doesn't figure in the playing eleven, it will be as good as being dropped.
In the last Test, they were "unofficially dropped" and in this one, they will be officially dumped.
Possible XI
India: KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, R Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma
South Africa Dean Elgar (capt), Aiden Markram, Keegan Petersen, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Duanne Olivier, Lungi Ngidi
