South Africa vs India 2013-14: Day 3 - Pujara and Kohli put India in winning position

Cheteswar Pujar and Virat Kohli

It’s not often that the Indian fans are with the ones with the smiles on their faces after Day 3 in an away Test match but the first Test match against South Africa in Wanderers seems very different. After knocking over the South Africans for 244 in the morning, India marched on to a lead of 320 runs thanks to some sublime batting from Cheteswar Pujara,Virat Kohli and Murali Vijay.

The Indian batsmen are in complete charge of the game and ended Day 3 on 284/2 . Pujara got his 6th Test hundred and remained not out on 135 while Kohli, unbeaten on 77, looks all set to reach his 6th Test ton tomorrow.

After the pace bowlers shot down the South African tail within the first half hour, the Indian batsmen has put India into a winning position at the end of Day 3 at the Wanderers. After gaining a lead of 36 runs, India went on to pile up the runs even though Shikhar Dhawan (15) failed to impress, yet again.

Murali Vijay displayed immense discipline and concentration and along with Cheteswar Pujara, took the Indians to safety before falling to a soft dismissal. Vijay played a solid hand of 39 and added 70-runs with Pujara for the 2nd wicket. He looked assured at the crease and was determined to carry on to a big score. However, he fell to a loose shot as he tried to flick Jacques Kallis off his hips and was caught down the leg side.

Vijay’s departure brought in Virat Kohli and India’s number 3 and 4 started off from where they left off in the first innings. Pujara was once again, a model of solidity and this time was determined not to give away his wicket cheaply. He defended with conviction and played his shots once he settled in. He brought up his hundred with a flurry of boundaries and whacked Tahir and caressed the fast bowlers all over the park. However, South Africa’s misery was compounded when Tahir dropped an easy caught and bowled chance.

Kohli seems to have taken a liking for the number 4 spot. He walked in, took guard and got into the groove almost immediately. He looked at immense ease at the crease and none of the bowlers could even trouble him. He stroked the ball beautifully and brought up his fifty in quick time and went on to add unbeaten 191 runs with Pujara. Kohli pulled with authority, drove with elan and delivered a strong message to all the Indian cricket fans. Kohli was severe on Imran Tahir and looks hungry enough to notch up his 2nd hundred of the game.

The South African bowlers looked out of ideas in front of a determined Indian batting line up and they suffered a huge blow when Morne Morkel twisted his ankle and went off the field. He was later ruled out of the Test match.

The Indian pacers were deadly in the morning

However, earlier in the day, it was the Indian seamers, Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma who bowled yet another brilliant spell to restrict the South Africans and hand India a lead of 36 runs. More than the runs, the lead was important for the Indians as it gave them the psychological upper hand in the game.

Starting the day at 213/6, South Africa lost Vernon Philander after the big fast bowler completed his fifty. It was an innings of immense importance because without his 59 runs, the South African score card would have had a much poorer reading. His vigil at the crease finally came to an end when he edged one from Zaheer Khan and R. Ashwin held on to a sharp catch at first slip.

Faf du Plessis was never comfortable at the crease and his stay was made even worse as he got hit in the “box”. Dale Steyn (10) was the next to depart as he was unable to control a bouncing delivery from Ishant Sharma and then du Plessis (20) was put out of his misery by Zaheer Khan as the right-hander edged an out-swinger to Dhoni.

Morne Morkel was the next to go as Zaheer Khan brought out a lethal yorker and pegged back his off stump. Normally the Indian bowlers are not very good at sweeping away the tail, but today morning, the Indian pace battery looked charged up and they steamed in to uproot the South African tail.

Zaheer Khan made a super comeback into the Test scene with a four wicket haul and Md. Shami grabbed two scalps but it was Ishant Sharma’s four wicket haul that gave India the cutting edge in the bowling department.

With India in the lead, the game is brilliantly set up for MS Dhoni‘s men going into Day 4. They would like to stretch the lead to at least 450 and put the game beyond the Proteas. The odds, astonishingly, are in India’s favor and it would take a special effort from the South Africans to get themselves back into the game.