South Africa have been bowled out for 184 despite a fighting 63 by AB de Villiers on the second day of the first Test against India in Mohali.
India have a slim first innings lead of 17 runs and will look to set South Africa target of between 250 and 300, something which they feel they would be able to defend on a surface which is already playing like a day five pitch.
De Villiers played well on a difficult pitch, never allowing the Indian spinners to dominate him. He got more comfortable in the middle as the innings went on and got his 63 off just 83 balls.
South Africa struggled to cope with the spin bowling of R Ashwin, losing three wickets in the morning session to leave them on 127-5 at lunch.
Ashwin finished with a five-wicket haul, claiming 5-51 in 24 overs.
Dean Elgar (37) and Hashim Amla (43) started the day well enough, surviving the first hour.
They were perhaps aided by Virat Kohli’s strange decision to not use Ashwin, instead starting the day with leg-spinner Amit Mishra and seamer Umesh Yadav. When Ashwin eventually came on it didn’t take him long to cause the batsmen some problems.
Elgar and Amla shared a crucial 76-run partnership, but Elgar went for an ambitious shot to be caught at backward point. Amla was then given out stumped by a ball which bounced off wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha’s chest and on to the stumps.
Ashwin struck again four balls later in the same over when Dane Vilas, in his first Test innings, got a top edge while trying to sweep through the line having scored just one.
AB de Villiers was given a let-off when caught at slip off a no-ball off Ravindra Jadeja. Virat Kohli took the catch after it came off the gloves of Saha and De Villiers started walking, but the umpire decided to check the front foot no-ball. Several replays was shown as some angles weren’t clear, blocked by AB’s foot or a fielder in the way.
One of the angles showed that when Jadeja’s toe landed, the line of his heel was not behind the line and De Villiers was called back.
Picture: BCCI
