IND v SA: Kohli-Iyer 67-run partnership rescues India after early scare on opening day

Centurion, Dec 26 (IANS) Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer came together to rescue India after an early tumble, adding 67 runs for the unfinished fourth wicket partnership as the visitors reached 91/3 in 26 overs at Lunch on the first day of the Boxing Day Test against South Africa, at the SuperSport Park here on Tuesday.

At the lunch break, Kohli is batting on 33 with Iyer on 31.

Batting first after rain delayed the start of the match, skipper Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal opened the Indian inning. Yashasvi went off to a flying start with a boundary with a flick off his pads. Kagiso Rabada opened the Proteas bowling with some tight lines and tested the resilience of the Indian batters.

Both Rabada and Marco Jansen bowled with an appreciable seam movement. There was an LBW shout against Rohit Sharma in the third over where the ball behaved like an off break, pitching full outside off and jagging so far past the bat that it would have missed the stumps in the end.

Rabada with his accurate line and length tested Rohit with a sharp bouncer as India lost their captain in the fifth over to a short ball that he pulled to one of the only two men on the boundary, at long leg. Rohit scored 5 off 14 deliveries.

India has left more than half (33) of the first 60 balls. That’s largely because 48 of them have been on the shorter side. Those won’t be hitting the stumps, even if they were bowled at the stumps but debutant Nandre Burger, with different plans pitched, this one up and got the big wicket of Jaiswal. Jaiswal, who edged behind to keeper Kyle Verreynne, departed after scoring 17 off 37 deliveries.

The Jaiswal wicket came off only the 10th ball that SA pitched up in the first 10 overs. Lucky this time, Burger got rid of Shubman Gill on the leg side as he just gloved the ball into the hands of wicketkeeper Verreynne.

Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer both were dropped on either side of the drinks break, and the duo made the most of their lives. Iyer was let off by Jansen at point, Kohli by de Zorzi at square leg. Iyer had looked to swing free while Kohli has been a lot more classical with his stroke-making.

From 26 for 3 in the first hour, India bounced back splendidly courtesy of an unbroken half-century stand between Iyer and Kohli.

Brief scores (At Lunch, Day 1):

India 91/3 in 26 overs (Virat Kohli batting 33, Shreyas Iyer batting 31, Yashasvi Jaiswal 17; Nandre Burger 2-23, Kagiso Rabada 1-15)

–IANS

hs/bsk/