Rahul’s Fifty helps India post 208/8 after Rabada’s 5-44 as rain ends day 1 early

India managed to post 208/8 on the scoreboard with the help of KL Rahul’s fifty during Day 1 of the first IND vs SA Test.

New Delhi: KL Rahul reached a crucial half-century to help India recover from the wrath of Kagiso Rabada, who took his first-ever five-wicket haul against India as the visiting side somehow managed to post 208/8 against South Africa after rain and bad weather. light has canceled the opening day of the first test at SuperSport Park on December 26.

Kagiso Rabada’s astonishing spell showed good pace and control. He was able to take full advantage of a pitch that offered variable bounce. His 5-44 on Day 1 helped the hosts dominate the Indian cricket team. He took the wickets of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shreyas Iyer and Shardul Thakur. He also became the 7th Proteas bowler to take 500 international wickets with this remarkable spell.

This is Rabada’s 14th five-wicket haul in 61 Tests and the first against India as the 28-year-old kept pace with South African legend Shaun Pollock, who made his 14 in 60 Tests.

KL Rahul then took over as he played his shots to good advantage as he completed his half-century off 80 balls, hitting seven boundaries and two sixes. He helped India cross the psychological mark of 200 with a few wickets in hand.

As stumps were called as the light quickly faded after a light drizzle, Rahul smashed 70 off 105 deliveries, hitting 10 boundaries and two sixes, keeping the visitors’ hopes alive of adding a few more runs on the second morning. Mohammed Siraj kept Rahul company but was yet to open his account with 10 balls /

After Temba Bavuma won the toss and elected to bowl first in the first of the two Tests in which India handed Prasidh Krishna his debut while the hosts gave the first caps to Nandre Burger and David Bedingham, Rabada struck the first blow for South Africa.

Batting first after rain delayed the start of the match, skipper Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal opened the Indian inning. Yashasvi got off to a flying start with a boundary with a flick of his pads.

Both Rabada and Marco Jansen bowled with significant seam movement. There was an LBW shout against Rohit in the third over, where the ball behaved like an off-break, throwing completely outwards and going so far beyond the bat that it would have ultimately missed the stumps.

From 26 for 3 in the first hour, India recovered superbly thanks to an uninterrupted half-century stand between Iyer and Kohli, their 67-run partnership for the fourth wicket making it India’s

From 91/3 after lunch, India lost their way again when Shreyas Iyer fell in the first over after the restart.

Rabada broke through with a full inswinger that landed on a patch and stayed low, took the inside edge and crashed into the stumps, ending Iyer’s 50-ball vigil for 31 runs.

The 28-year-old right-handed pacer also got Kohli with another great delivery, forcing the former India captain to tap one behind the keeper. Rabada had Kohli playing with a well-thrown delivery that angled in, which was erratic and took the outside edge to Verreynne as India slumped to 107/5.

Ravichandran Ashwin lasted for just eight runs before Rahul and Shardul Thakur came together for another short-lived save.

Shardul Thakur showed grit with a spirited 24 off 33 balls, hitting three fours and adding 43 runs for the seventh wicket. Shardul, who bravely took a few blows, became Rabada’s fifth victim of the day when his drive on a long outside ball went straight to Dean Elgar.

With this, Rabada completed his 500 wickets in international cricket, of which 285 came in 61 Test matches.

With the tail to bat, Rahul took charge as he raced to his half-century. He hit Gerald Coetzee for back-to-back boundaries, turned on the back foot to take a rasping pull from a short delivery just outside off, and topped the head-high delivery for the first after leaving an extra pumped -cover for four off the third delivery of the 58th over.

That came after he had hammered Burger for a four and six off successive deliveries, hitting the fifth ball of the 52nd over midwicket and then following that up by firing the fast ball pitched outside off over the boundary to complete his half century to bring forward. .

Earlier, he picked up Burger for a sensational boundary with a long ball outside the stumps and then drove Rabada square for a boundary.

South Africa also suffered a setback when skipper Bavuma had to walk off the field with an injury. Dean Elgar, in his last series as a Test player, captained the side in his absence.