To get 286 was a wonderful effort with the bat- Vernon Philander

Despite a sensational piece of bowling effort by the Indian fast bowlers, the visitors eventually lost the opening Test to South Africa by 72 runs as South Africa took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. India bowled brilliantly in the 2^nd essay, but a lackluster performance with the bat in the 2^nd innings brought about their downfall.

The Indian bowlers troubled the Proteas batsmen on a consistent basis and reduced them to 12/3, but Ab de Villiers and Faf du Plessis stitched together a valuable partnership which took South Africa to a respectable total of 286 runs. India was wrecked early and was reduced to 92/7 as the South African fast bowlers ran through the Indian top order.

From there on it was Hardik Pandya who struck a sensible knock of 93 of 96 deliveries which included 14 fours and a solitary six. The Indian bowlers were simply on the mark from the word go on the 4^th day morning as South Africa were skittled out for a paltry 130 runs after they were 65/2 overnight.

Chasing a relatively moderate total of 207, India were wrecked early and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Vernon Philander bowled in the right areas and let the pitch do the talking and finished with a six-wicket haul as India were shot out for 135.

Here is what Man of the Match Philander said at the post-match presentation ceremony

“It’s generally slow here. It caught us off-guard on the first morning. But the boys stuck to their guns. To get 286 was a wonderful effort with the bat. What better setting can you ask for. One of the better grounds to play cricket at. Just a great atmosphere. A lot of the times you have one bowler get the praise, but the way the bowlers stuck to their guns after being a seamer down was superb. Coming back after the break, I felt a bit stiff. Just hope Dale gets back as quickly as possible. He’s been a hell of a champion, hell of a leader for us. To see him go down is quite heartbreaking for the squad.”

Here’s the Newsfeed:

The Whole Team Responded Beautifully in Crunch Situations: Faf du Plessis

South Africa Vs India: We need to rectify mistakes – Virat Kohli