The third day of any Test is commonly referred to as ‘moving day’, as we saw in Centurion, where 18 wickets fell on the third day. Centurion almost made up for the lost time by losing the entire second day to rain. The day began with Lungi Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada slicing through India’s fighting line-up, dismissing their last seven wickets in 69 deliveries. The Indian bowlers then took over, with Mohammed Shami taking his second first-innings five-for in Test cricket to give India a 130-run advantage. India missed Jasprit Bumrah for 49 overs due to an ankle injury.
Ngidi and Rabada fought back for SA
Early on, Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi wreaked havoc on the pitch, hitting it hard and drawing uneven bounce. In Centurion, Ngidi finished with his second six-wicket haul. After the overnight batsmen, KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane, both fell to extra bounce, the rest of the batters appeared to be content with what they had on the board in what was effectively a four-day Test. Instead of wasting time in the Test by barely surviving, they too were eager to bowl on Centurion’s bouncy pitch. Ngidi took the fifth fifer of his career and will be vital in the second inning.
Shami and Co. dismantle South African batting
India took a massive lead of 130runs in the first innings thanks to a fantastic effort by the seamers. Shami was fantastic. Excellent areas from him, and the conditions aided him enough to make him a dangerous threat for batters. He became the third-fastest Indian bowler to take 200 Test wickets with his fifer, accomplishing the feat in his 55th match. He also took the least number of balls by an Indian bowler to get to the landmark of 200 Test wickets. Thakur was also instrumental in providing crucial breakthroughs.
What day 4 holds for us
Day 3 was action-packed, with 18 wickets falling across three innings. By the end of the day, India had established a commanding lead of 146 runs with nine wickets in hand. The forecast for the fifth day isn’t promising, so a result might not be a certainty. However, few would have predicted that 18 wickets would fall in a day. The day belonged to India and Shami, who not only took five wickets but also reached 200 Test wickets. It’ll be interesting to see India’s approach and whether Ngidi-Rabada can provide a repeat of their first inning’s performance.