South African pacer Kagiso Rabada scored just after lunch on Day 1 of the ongoing Test against India to put his team on top. The Boxing Day match between the teams will take place at Centurion’s Supersport Park.
Kagiso Rabada has been the pick of South Africa’s bowlers in the ongoing game. The fast bowler has caused a lot of problems for the Indian batsmen and has not allowed the visitors to get the partnership going. He dealt a blow to the opposition just after lunch with a sensational delivery.
Kagiso Rabada removed Shreyas Iyer with a whiff and the batsman had no idea about it. In the sixth delivery after lunch, the fast bowler bowled a wobbly seam nipbacker into the stumps. The ball stayed low and the batsman failed to get his bat down in time.
Shreyas Iyer seemed clueless about Kagiso Rabada’s inward movement of the ball and it cost him his wicket. This was a much-needed blow for South Africa as Iyer looked threatening and was trying to score runs quickly.
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Shreyas Iyer played well under pressure. He came into bat when India lost three wickets for just 24 runs. He, along with Virat Kohli, got the team out of trouble and made sure to help the team get runs quickly after the first knocks.
Shreyas Iyer finished with a 50-ball 31-run hit. He smashed three boundaries and 1 six in his innings. He, along with Virat Kohli, added 68 runs and ensured that India crossed 90 runs without any further knock.
IND vs SA: Kagiso Rabada deals a big blow by also removing Virat Kohli
After removing Shreyas Iyer, Kagiso Rabada shook India with a big knock. The lanky pacer removed Virat Kohli with a jaffa when he found the outside edge of his bat and sent him packing in his fourth over after lunch.
It seemed that Kagiso Rabada did his homework well during the lunch breaks. The pacer bowled a brilliant outswinger that initially headed towards the off stump and then deflected nicely. The timing of the ball troubled Virat Kohli.
The batsman committed to the original line and the ball kissed the outside edge and was caught by the keeper with ease. The South African team was extremely jugular after getting the batsman out. With this scalp, the Proteas surely took the lead.
Virat Kohli worked hard and played magnificent shots in his innings. He scored 38 runs off 64 balls and helped India surpass 100 runs. He also scored 5 fours in his innings. Kohli’s scalp left the visitors reeling at 107/5. If this was not enough, Kagiso Rabada also removed Ravichandran Ashwin to pick his fourth wicket of the day.
Kagiso Rabada has been exceptional in the ongoing game. He provided his team with the first breakthrough by removing Indian captain Rohit Sharma for just 5 runs. He would now hope to envelop the rest of the batters early and get his team into a winning position.