Ashwin takes 4 as India leave SA on the mat despite Maharaj’s 72

Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin picked up four wickets to pour cold water on Keshav Maharaj’s career-best 72 as South Africa were bowled out for 275, still 326 runs behind, on Day 3 of the ongoing second Test here on Saturday.

Ashwin picked up the wicket of left-arm spinner Maharaj, who battled through pain and batted brilliantly to join hands with Vernon Philander (42 not out) for a gritty 109-run stand.

Maharaj took 132 balls and hit 12 fours in his innings as Philander played second fiddle, finding the fence six times in the 192 balls he faced.

“It’s (shoulder) very sore. Yesterday I dived on it so lot of bruising. But hopefully I’ll be fine for the rest of the series,” Maharaj, primarily a left-arm spinner, said.

“Vernon and I said to ourselves that we’ll just get through to tea and see after that. Being a lower order batsman your fingers do itch to play a big shot but Vernon kept me in a good mind space.

“After a few pulls I felt normal (in the shoulder). It’s better to be positive, because if you go into your shell a ball with your name will come along sooner or later.”

Ashwin finished with best innings figures of 4/69 including the wickets of Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis who scored 64, Quinton e Kock (31) and Kagiso Rabada (2) in the end.

Umesh Yadav, who took the opening two wickets on Day 2, snared another, that of Theunis de Bruyn (30) to return impressive figures of 3/37 in his comeback Test.

Starting the day at 36/3, South Africa lost both their overnight batsmen Anrich Nortje (3) and de Bruyn in the first hour of play.

Nortje, who came in as night watchman on Friday evening, was the first wicket to fall as he was caught brilliantly at fourth slip by Virat Kohli off the bowling of Mohammed Shami.

Three overs later, de Bruyn played a loose shot and in the process got a thick outside edge against Umesh. Wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha dived to his right and took a stunning catch to end de Bruyn’s inning.  de Kock and du Plessis then tried to steady the ship for the visitors and shared a crucial 58-run stand before de Kock was bowled by ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin at his individual score of 31.

Du Plessis scored 64 from 117 balls, his 21st Test fifty, with the help of six fours and a six before Ashwin found his outside edge and the ball flew to Ajinkya Rahane at slip.

With du Plessis gone, it was just a matter of time before the tourists folded up but Philander and Maharaj frustrated the bowlers with their unbroken 35-run ninth wicket stand. Philander was not out on 23 while Maharaj was on 21 at the break.

Before Faf, Senuran Muthusamy (7) was trapped in front by left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja.

Maharaj, who injured his shoulder while fielding on Friday and went off the pitch for scans, came out to join Philander to make a last stand.

Maharaj passed his previous Test best of 45 with a boundary off Ashwin and completed his fifty to an ovation from the crowd.

Earlier on Day 2, India had declared their first innings for 601/5 with Virat Kohli (254*), Mayank Agarwal (108) and Ravindra Jadeja (91) being the chief contributors.

Kohli hit a career-best 254 not out to surpass Don Bradman’s Test tally of 6,996 runs on Friday as India tightened the screws on the tourists.

A victory for India, already one up in the three Tests, will see them beat the record of 10 straight home series wins they share with Australia.

Agencies





Scoreboard at stumps on day three of the second Test between India and South Africa in Pune on Saturday:

India 1st innings 601-5 (V Kohli 254 not out, K Rabada 3-93)

South Africa 1st innings (overnight 36-3, T. de Bruyn 20, A. Nortje 2)

T de Bruyn c Saha b Yadav    30

A Nortje c Kohli b Shami    3

F du Plessis c Rahane b Ashwin    64

Q. de Kock b Ashwin    31

S. Muthusamy lbw b Jadeja    7

V. Philander not out    44

K. Maharaj c Sharma b Ashwin    72

K. Rabada lbw b Ashwin    2

Extras (lb8)    8

Total (all out, 105.4 overs)    275

Fall of wickets: 1-2 (Markram), 2-13 (Elgar), 3-33 (Bavuma), 4-41 (Nortje), 5-53 (de Bruyn), 6-128 (de Kock), 7-139 (Muthusamy), 8-162 (Du Plessis), 9-271 (Maharaj), 10-275 (Rabada)

Bowling: I.Sharma 10-1-36-0, Yadav 13-2-37-3, Jadeja 36-15-81-1, Shami 17-3-44-2, Ashwin 28.4-9-69-4, R. Sharma 1-1-0-0