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India vs South Africa, 2nd Test, Day 2: As it happened

India ended Day 2 at 183/5, still trailing South Africa by 152 runs in the first innings.

India vs South Africa, 2nd Test, Day 2: As it happened File photo of India opener Murali Vijay (PTI)

Welcome back as another intriguing day of Test cricket at Centurion awaits fans after India launched a late comeback to share honours with hosts South Africa on the opening day of the second Test. Stay tuned for live updates and scorecard from the zeenews.com sports team.


INDIA FIRST INNINGS (SCORECARD)


9:05 pm: End of the 61st over, and the umpires take off the bails to signal Stumps on Day 2. Kohli's fighting 85* has guided a wobbly India to 183/5, still trailing South Africa (335) by 152 runs in the first innings. Murali Vijay the other notable contributor with his 46. Maharaj, Morkel, Rabada, and debutant Ngidi took one wicket apiece while Cheteshwar Pujara was run out for a first-ball duck.

8.49 pm:  India 175/5 in 58 overs, trail South Africa by 160 runs. Hardik Pandya just played an eventful over from Lungi Ngidi. The wicket is now getting two-paced, leaving both batsmen in doubt more often than not.  

8.27 pm: India 164/5. Parthiv Patel goes. Excellent delivery there by Lungi Ngidi and Parthiv edged through to wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock. He made 19. India trail South Africa by 171 runs. First Test wicket for debutant Ngidi. 

8.22 pm: India 159/4 in 53 overs, trailing South Africa by 176 runs. Parthiv Patel (15) takes two fours off the Keshav Maharaj over but he is clearly bothered by a couple of rough areas outside his off stump. Kohli as is solid as ever at the other end on 78. 

8:05 pm: Kohli survives a close shave! Ngidi struck him on the pads as the India captain shuffled towards the off-side. Umpire said not out and Du Plessis decided to take a review. An inside-edge on the 'Snicko' saved Kohli (74*) in the end. India 145/4

7:45 pm: Spoke too soon! Rabada raps Rohit (10) on the back leg, umpire raises his finger. Kohli and Rohit consult and go for a review, but it stays with umpire's call. India have lost their fourth wicket and 3/3 failure for Rohit. India 132/4. Kohli is on 66.

7:35 pm: It's a big innings for Rohit Sharma, considering how his selection ahead of Ajinkya Rahane has been debated. He has begun well hitting two boundaries and has the best man for company in skipper Virat Kohli, who is batting on 66. India 130/3

7.10 pm: Against the run of play Murali Vijay departs trying to cut Keshav Maharaj on the off-side. Quinton de Kock takes a nice catch behind the wickets. He fell four runs short of a fifty. India 107/3 in 37 overs, trailing South Africa by 228 runs. 

7.05 pm: Fifty for Kohli, India 107 for 2 in 36 overs, trailing South Africa by 228 runs. 16th fifty for Kohli, it came with a two off Morne Morkel. The partnership between Kohli (51*) and Vijay (46*) has now gone up to 79 runs. The South African bowlers are trying hard but both Indian batsmen are in control.   

6:10 pm: Umpires call for Tea; and India, with that unbroken fifty stand between Virat Kohli (39*) and Murali Vijay (31*), are breathing a lot easier at 80/2 in 28 overs. But still a lot of work ahead as the hosts are ahead by 255 runs.  

5.27 pm: The proceedings have slowed down a little as both Indian batsmen Murali Vijay and Virat Kohli are playing cautiously. India need a big performance from them. India 52/2 after 16 overs, trailing South Africa by 283 runs.

4:54 pm: Double Blow! A bit of yes and no between Pujara and Vijay for a single and it's curtains for the former as debutant Ngidi throws the stumps down direct. Pujara, out for a duck, is short by more than a yard. India 28/2, trailing SA by 307

4:52 pm: Nothing more than a check-drive from KL Rahul and he takes the long walk back dismissed for 10. Morne Morkel takes a smart return catch to get the first wicket for his team. India 28/1 in the 10th over. Cheteshwar Pujara walks in.

4:30 p.m. Indian openers Vijay (10) and Rahul (4) are treading cautiously post lunch, but playing with an intent to stay busy and keep the scoreboard moving. It has reached 14/0 in 5 overs, 321 behind South Africa. 

3:30 pm: Just one over for Indian openers Rahul and Vijay before umpires called Lunch on Day 2. It resulted in four runs off the over bowled by Keshav Maharaj. India 4/0, trail South Africa (335) by 331 runs.


SOUTH AFRICA FIRST INNINGS


3:21 pm: Ashwin (4/113) takes the final wicket as South Africa are bowled out for 335 in 113.5 overs. But Ishant is the star of the second morning as he took two of the four wickets to fall today and finished with figures of 3/46. Du Plessis(63) hung in for a while but couldn't kick on as support from the other end faded.

3:15 pm: Ishant into the act again, nets the big fish Du Plessis (63) with the one that cut in to find the gap between bad and pad before crashing into the stumps. India now a wicke away from bowling the hosts out. SA 333/9.

3.07 pm: Ishant Sharma takes his second wicket. Induces Kagiso Rabada to play a pull and Hardik Pandya does the rest at deep square leg by taking a forward-running catch. Rabada departs for 11. South Africa 324/8 after 111 overs.

2:50 pm: Du Plessis (54*) is batting well, and so is the tail with him as the SA captain brings up his half-century and Rabada (10*) moves into double figures. India will be ruing those two dropped catches off Rabada. SA 318/7.

2:30 pm: Two catches dropped in a row, Rabada (4*) the beneficiary on both the occasions. Ashwin, who bowled 31 off the 90 overs India sent down yesterday, has had his first look on the second morning, and troubling both Rabada (3*) and Du Plessis, who has reached 34. But the offie is unlucky to not get the former. First Kohli dropped a tough catch in the slip and then Pandya and Shami made a hash of a dolly failing to call for the catch. SA 292/7 in 104 overs.

SA 291/7.

2:15 pm: Wicket for India! Mohammed Shami breaks through on the second morning, getting Keshav Maharaj (18) caught behind. It's also the 100th Test wicket for Shami. So a special moment for him at Centurion. SA 282/7 in 99 overs.

1:48 pm: Bumrah strikes Du Plessis on the pads and Indians go up in appeal. Umpire shakes his head and Kohli, after a brief consultation with Bumrah, goes upstairs requesting a review. But it turns out to be a bad call by India as the ball hit SA skipper above the flap of his front pad. India lose their review. SA 273/6

1:45 pm: Ishant and Bumrah have resumed for India this morning with a new-ish ball that India took in the 87th over last evening. But remains to be seen if there's some help for the Indian seamers in the morning session.

1 pm: South Africa owed it to big fifties from Aiden Markram (94) and Hashim Amla (82) on the opening day, but led by Ashwin (3/90), India came back late to restrict the hosts to 269/6. But today, skipper Faf du Plessis (24*) will hope to carry the tail along and go past at least 350 for a par first-innings score. India, on the other hand, would want to restrict SA to under 325.

Meanwhile, here's the match report from Day 1:

India came back strongly late on Day 1 in the second Test against South Africa at SuperSport Park in Centurion as the hosts closed the proceedings on 269/6 on Saturday. Aiden Markram top-scored for the Proteas with 94 as R Ashwin picked up three wickets for India. 

After electing to bat, South Africa were strongly placed at 246/3 when quick wickets spoiled all the good work of the hosts' top order. It began with Hashim Amla's run-out for 82 runs, and before long Quinton de Kock and Vernon Philander also found themselves back in the dressing room without opening their account. Thereafter captain Faf du Plessis (24) and Keshav Maharaj (10) closed out the day without further damage.

Earlier in the day, the Indian team management surprised one and all with some inexplicable changes. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, one of India's top performers in the Cape Town defeat, and Shikhar Dhawan were dropped in favour of Ishant Sharma and KL Rahul, and these moves brought widespread criticism from former cricketers, especially Sunil Gavaskar who angrily reacted to these changes.

And the way the South Africans started their innings, it appeared things were going to get really worse for the Indian team as Dean Elgar and Markram looked largely unperturbed against the fast bowlers from the visiting team. Contrary to reports, the pitch at SuperSport Park showed no signs of trickery and the home batsmen made the most of its benign nature.

The opening 85-run stand was followed by 63- (Markram-Amla), 51- (Amla-AB de Villiers) and 47-run (Amla-du Plessis) partnerships. And it took a brilliant fielding effort from Hardik Pandya to change the complexion of the game. His run-out of Amla touched off the collapse late in the day. Shortly after de Kock succumbed to Ashwin and then Philander ran himself out to give the tourists the upper hand. 

23-year-old Markram was a little unfortunate not to reach what could have been his third Test century as Parthiv Patel, playing in place of an injured Wriddhiman Saha, took a nice catch behind the wickets off the bowling of Ashwin. The Indian spinner had also accounted for Elgar (31). Ishant, chosen for his ability to extract more bounce than Bhuvneshwar, was the other Indian bowler among the wickets by virtue of his removing the dangerous de Villiers for 20. 

South Africa made just one change in the match bringing in fast bowler Lungi Ngidi in place of Dale Steyn, who suffered a series-ending injury during the Cape Town Test.