India vs South Africa Live Score, 1st Test, Day 1: Before rain stopped play on Day 1, KL Rahul showed incredible fortitude by leading India to 208/8 with the tail of the bat. His brave fifty-five put the score over 200, an impressive achievement when hitting 150 looked difficult. Unfortunately, bad light and rain eventually dashed India’s hopes of a resumed play and forced early stumps on Day 1 amidst unrelenting downpour.
On the first day of the Boxing Day Test against India, South Africa had a strong start. India was put to bat first after they had won the toss. In the first eleven overs, India lost their top three players. Since then, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer have both been caught. The two got comfortable with their innings and helped India reach lunch. At the end of the first session, the score was 91/3, and Kohli and Iyer’s partnership was at 67 off 89 balls. Rain was predicted, so it was anticipated to be a sporadic day, but the sun is currently shining at SuperSport Park.
After lunch, Rabada upset the Indian batting order by quickly dismissing Iyer and then Kohli. To reach his four-wicket total, he then removed Ashwin from the game. Since Gerald Coetzee and Marco Jansen have found it difficult to maintain the same level of play, India benefited from Rahul and Shardul Thakur milking runs from the duo while Rabada took a break.But Rabada came back, and in his opening over, he dismissed Thakur. Rahul then saw India through to tea by rotating strikes with Bumrah. On the first day, India was 176/7 at Tea after 50 overs, with Rahul scoring 39 off 71. With two fours and a six off the final two balls of the 52nd over, Rahul reached his half century with style early in the third session. Wet patches in the field earlier in the day caused a 45-minute delay in the toss.
In South Africa, winning is not easy. For India, things become harder. Their spinners hardly ever make an impression in these conditions, and their batters have one of the worst records here. They have never prevailed in a Test series in South Africa as a team. India has played 23 Test matches in South Africa since 1996, winning just four of them and never more than once in a series. They are still the third-most successful team in South Africa, behind England and Australia, despite this. Playing South Africa in South Africa is that difficult. Having said that, India has nearly always outperformed South Africa during their tours here over the past ten years or so. In fact, many thought India was the stronger of the two teams when they visited there the previous time. They performed admirably as well, but South Africa’s comeback in the fourth innings prevented India from winning the series twice.
How about now? It will be Rohit Sharma’s first time in the lead. Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara were both dropped, so India is without both of them.Both Mohammed Shami and Rishabh Pant, who scored a lot of runs during India’s most recent tour, are sidelined due to injuries. Virat Kohli, who averages more than 50 here, is on the team, though. They do have three young, exciting batsmen who will be playing their first Test in South Africa: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Shreyas Iyer. As deadly as ever is Jasprit Bumrah. Mohammed Siraj is facing forward. How about South Africa? They still aren’t the same as they formerly were, though. There is constant pressure on Captain Temba Bavuma, Dean Elgar will be playing in his final series, and there are doubts about Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi’s fitness.
Does that imply that India has a fantastic chance to conquer their hardest peak once more? Indeed, to some extent. The Indian supporters would prefer to think so, at the very least.