Wednesday, 25 November 2015

India vs South Africa, 3rd Test Day 1, Live

India take on South Africa in the third Test in Nagpur. Here are the live updates.....

IndiaToday.in   |   New Delhi, November 25, 2015 | UPDATED 16:53 IST

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Welcome to our coverage of the third Test between India and South Africa in Nagpur. Here are the Live Updates: (Scorecard)
Updates:
India 1st innings

4.51 PM IST: WICKET! Ashwin and Jadeja have shared the spoils evenly this series - after the offie snared van Zyl, the left-arm spinner removed nightwatchman Tahir. Skipper Amla walks out with South Africa on 9/2.
4.48 PM IST: Loud appeals from bowlers, close-in fielders and thousands of supporters in the stands - imagine the plight of the umpires in the middle. They are under pressure as are the South African batsmen, who have a couple more overs to survive.
4.41 PM IST: Spin at both ends now - Jadeja in the attack, replacing Ishant. The pacer will certainly come into play later in the innings and India would hope for some reverse swing from him.
4.37 PM IST: WICKET! India break through early. Ashwin does the damage by removing opener van Zyl. South Africa 4/1 as nightwatchman Imran Tahir walks in.
4.28 PM IST: After a good first over from Ishant Sharma, R Ashwin has been introduced into the attack - this was expected. He has an enviable record bowling with the new ball. Close-in fielders, men chatting around the bat and you know this is Test cricket in India.
4.14 PM IST: WICKET! The end came pretty quickly as Harmer removed Mishra. India have been bowled out for 215 and that leaves South Africa to face some 10 uncomfortable overs.
4.10 PM IST: WICKET! Ashwin tried to get India some useful runs but at the end, Tahir was just too good for him. He departs for 15 as India reach 215/9 vs the Proteas.
4.04 PM IST: South Africa should be mighty pleased with themselves. Eight Indian wickets have come so far and it looks like the hosts will be knocked over before the end of day's play. Hashim Amla could not have asked for a better start to the Test.
3.49 PM IST: WICKET! Soon after taking India past 200, Saha falls to Harmer for 32. It was a heroic effort from the Bengal stumper, the kind of act that Kohli likes. India 201/8
3.47 PM IST: FOUR! That was well-timed by Wriddhiman Saha. India are now 201/7 and that is mainly thanks to a resilient lower-order.
3.36 PM IST: Saha could not have asked for a better partner than Ashwin at this stage of the innings. The latter averages 42 at home and only three India batsmen - Kohli, Pujara and Vijay- have scored more runs than him him in India.
3.30 PM IST: Saha has matured as a batsman - he of course has a strong 'tail-end' to bat with but his calmness no doubt works wonders for the dressing-room. These are crucial runs - India are 185/7 and they would be happy with anything in the vicinity of 220.
3.14 PM IST: WICKET! That's the end of a fine knock. Ravindra Jadeja looked extremely poised for his 34 before he was castled by Rabada as India slipped to 173/7 in the first innings. South Africa are now surely looking to bowl the hosts out and bat for a while today.
3.00 PM IST: This has been a strong partnership between Jadeja and Saha - India have recovered to 170/6 from a spot of bother. They are now headed towards a strong total on a tricky pitch.
2.43 PM IST: Slightly overpitched from Morkel and Jadeja sends it to the fence. FOUR! Good-looking shot from the southpaw - he has been very impressive with the bat ever since he made his comeback for India in Test cricket this month.
2.40 PM IST: FOUR! Tahir in the attack right after tea and Saha reaches out to the spin of the ball. Expect some quick scoring now with the pitch wearing up further. Survival is going to nearly impossible and the Indian lower-order would obviously want to add as many runs as possible before folding up.
2.26 PM IST: Can Morkel inspire South Africa to bowl India out in the final session and bat today? This will be another interesting passage of play. Gavaskar had said that it would be tough to bat on the first day but this has turned out to be a pretty poor effort by the Indian top-order.
2.12 PM IST: FOUR! 'Sir' Jadeja is in the mood as he smashes Harmer to the fence. Tea taken right after with India on 149/6. Jadeja and Saha will be key when play resumes in the third session.
2.08 PM IST:  Tea is round the corner and India would be hoping to get through to the final session without losing any more wickets. Jadeja has done well so far.
1.51 PM IST: Jadeja and Saha have done well to keep the South African attack at bay after the entire top-order was blown away by Morkel and Harmer. If the first session belonged to India partially, the second was dominated completely by the Proteas. This has been a terrific show by the visitors. It was Morkel's chance to shine without Steyn and he has started off brilliantly.
1.37 PM IST: WICKET! Harmer has leaked a few runs but he has been super-effective too. He snared Rohit Sharma, who struggled in his brief stay at the crease. India 125/6 vs South Africa.
1.21 PM IST: Saha drew high praise from Kohli, who said the wicketkeeper batsman was a real team-man. This is his chance to repay that faith. He needs to stitch up a strong partnership with Rohit.
1.11 PM IST: Rohit Sharma was in fine form in the limited-overs matches but he was not selected for the Mohali and Bangalore Tests. He now gets to make a comeback on the toughest pitch in the series. Will he stand out? India certainly need him to.
1.07 PM IST: WICKET! This is disaster for India - Morkel is bowling a dream spell and he has knocked off Kohli, who was looking good. India are 116/5 as Wriddhiman Saha joins Rohit Sharma in the middle.

Morne Morkel. (AP Photo)

12.56 PM IST: WICKET! Second one for Morkel as he uproots Rahane's off-stump. He departs for 13 and India slip to 115/4 with Kohli anchoring the innings.
12.48 PM IST: Kohli has curbed his natural instincts to get in on a very difficult surface. A solid fifty from the skipper will be just the anchor act India need now. 

Virat Kohli. (AP Photo)

12.41 PM IST: Not since 2002 has an away team introduced two spinners inside the first 15 overs. That tells you the kind of turn this pitch has afforded - India (105/3 in 35 overs) are looking very, very strong. Without a doubt, they are thinking of getting as close as possible to 300.
12.36 PM IST: SIX! What a shot! Rahane picked that one early and lifted Harmer into the stands. Top cricket that. India 102/3 and the 100 has come up in very good time.
12.34 PM IST: Rahane has been one of India's most consistent Test batsmen since his debut over two years ago. He needs to build a strong alliance with Kohli, who has looked measured so far. India 96/3 after 32 overs.
12.27 PM IST: WICKET! Another one goes down - the first after lunch. Excellent line from Harmer and bit of turn too. Pujara fails to read the line and is trapped lbw for 21. This is not going to be a high-scoring game but Pujara's exit is a setback for India, who are 94/3 as Rahane walks in to join Kohli.
12.24 PM IST: Pujara and Kohli survived a tough period of play and would be eager to pick up some momentum in the second session. Both men are capable of scoring quickly and that has what India looked to do all through the innings so far.
12.18 PM IST: Play resumes after lunch - it will be another spin test for the batsmen but both Kohli and Pujara will be up to the task. Their strategy has been to score quickly and not let the slower bowlers settle down.
11.36 AM IST: Lunch - India 85/2 after 27 overs and that was a nicely balanced session. India did look good but they lost the in-form Murali Vijay at a crucial juncture. The focus will now be on Kohli and Pujara, who have together looked assuring. The pair will need to navigate the innings after the break with the pitch expected to assist the spinners further. South Africa's bowlers showed good resilience with Morkel and Elgar taking a wicket apiece.
11.30 AM IST: FOUR! Delightful cover-drive from Kohli and he ball races away to the fence - he made Morkel look very ordinary. India 82/2.
11.28 AM IST: Poor running between the wickets from Pujara - Kohli wanted the third but Pujara just wasn't up to it. Gavaskar on air, is furious.
11.18 AM IST: Kohli has a massive job at hand now. Morkel is getting the ball to reverse and South Africa have some dangerous spinners in their ranks, led by Tahir. Pujara at the other end has to play a good hand too. If the hosts somehow manage 300 or thereabouts in the first innings, the Proteas will find it mighty tough to bounce back.
11.11 AM IST: WICKET! That's a massive blow for India - Morkel has trapped Vijay lbw and he departs for 40 with India 69/2 in the 22nd over. Skipper Virat Kohli joins Cheteshwar Pujara in the middle.
11.00 AM IST: Good delivery from Morne Morkel - appreciable reverse swing already. Good pace too - 140 kmph. He is going to be as crucial as the spinners for South Africa. India 66/0 in the 20th over.
10.42 AM IST: WICKET! Soft dismissal. Dhawan wanted to drive but the ball spun and the southpaw closed the face of his bat, allowing Elgar to take a smart return catch. Dhawan goes for 12. India 50/1 in the 15th over.
10.38 AM IST: Play resumes after the drinks break. India have raced away to a very good start. Every run will count here from now on. South Africa have fared poorly against India's spinners, that's why they need to restrict the hosts as much as possible.
10.27 AM IST: SIX! Vijay hammers Harmer into the stands. Wow, fantastic cricket. The ball is spinning and bouncing but Vijay has chosen to take the South African spinners on. Excellent use of the feet from the Chennai batsman. India 47/0 in 11 overs. 

Murali Vijay. (AP Photo)

10.21 AM IST: Spin from both ends now - Dean Elgar into the attack as Amla tries to go on the offensive. Good tactics from the South African captain - attack and attack early.
10.18 AM IST: Turn and bounce from Simon Harmer already and we are only in the first hour of the first day. Vijay did well to keep it away from the close-in fielder. Ominous signs for the Proteas, who have to deal with three top-class spinners later on.
10.10 AM IST: Dale Steyn is watching from the sidelines - he must be really frustrated to be sitting out like this. He has been one of South Africa's most potent match-winners over the last decade and his absence is bound to hurt them. India have reached 22/0 in 6 overs.
10 AM IST: Both Vijay and Dhawan are making it look so easy now. South Africa's bowlers have their task cut out in hot Nagpur. The fielders already look flustered. An early breakthrough will surely help.
9.56 AM IST: Morkel pitches it short and bang! FOUR! Vijay pulled with disdain as the ball scorches the Vidharbha ground and races away to the fence. India 17/0 in the fifth over. South Africa's pacers need to be careful and ensure India do not get too many easy runs on offer here.
9.52 AM IST: FOUR! That's another one for Dhawan, who really has looked good after Mohali. This is good news for India. They need to score big and score quick.
9.49 AM IST: FOUR! That's the first boundary of the day. It was an edge but India won't mind that. Sunil Gavaskar said it would be really difficult to bat on the first day, leave alone the last. Runs are crucial here. India 7/0 after 3 overs.
9.33 AM IST: Solid effort from Vijay. Morkel was on the spot. A good first over in Nagpur. IND 1/0 after the first over.
9.30 AM IST Morne Morkel runs in and bowls a nice one outside off. Vijay watches the ball go to the keeper.
Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay walk out from the dressing room. Will Dhawan be able to carry forward his form?
The players walk into the field. The Vidarbha Cricket Association stadium makes some noise. 
An extra batsman in these conditions might come in handy and Rohit Sharma deserved the chance after a good limited over series. 
So Kohli has gone in with three spinners here. And looking at the pitch it seems to be a wise decision. Amla is also playing two spinners and two fast bowlers. 
Playing XI:
Toss: 
India have won the toss and have opted to bat first.
Amla: "We would've liked to have batted first as well. It is going to break up as well. Dale Steyn is still not fit and Simon Harmer comes in for Kyle Abbott."
Kohli: "Looking at the wicket it looks pretty dry. First day will be the best to bat on and we are going to bat first. Here in Nagpur it is winter now and still it is pretty hot. Rohit comes in for Aaron and Mishra comes back for Binny.
Pitch report:
Lots of cracks on the track. Sunil Gavaskar says it is impossible to bat last here. 
Preview:
India were off to a great start in the four-Test series against top-ranked South Africa. After decimating the Proteas by 108 runs in Mohali, the hosts continued their good work in Bangalore, where the bowlers knocked South Africa over in less than three sessions.
The openers, Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan provided India with a strong platform before rain washed out four days.
After two matches, India lead the series 1-0. This Test in Nagour gives South Africa the chance to bounce back and redeem themselves. They have not lost an away series since 2006, when they went down to Sri Lanka. Their two previous series in India were drawn.
Never before has a South African team looked so vulnerable. Their batsmen have been inept against India's spinners. With Dale Steyn ruled out of this match as well, the visitors' bowling attack has also been greatly hampered.
Skipper Hashim Amla sounded brave when he said his side was prepared to battle without Steyn. It will be easier said than done. The bulk of the responsibilities will be shared by Morne Morkel and Imran Tahir, the impressive leg-spinner.
India, on the other hand, look assured and settled. Their bowlers have been splendid, and there are no injury issues. Virat Kohli has time and again stressed on the need for ruthless cricket. His team will have to do just that here against the wounded Proteas. This is India's chance to claim a rare series win over the world's best Test team.
Remember, the last time South Africa appeared in a Test here, they won convincignly. Besides, India's spinners do not have a great record in Jamtha.
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