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PHOTOS: Lethal Lungi leaves India in a twist

Last updated on: January 16, 2018 22:48 IST

Images from Day 4 of the second Test between South Africa and India in Pretoria on Tuesday.

South Africa's Lungi Ngidi celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Virat Kohli

IMAGE: South Africa's Lungi Ngidi celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Virat Kohli. Photograph: BCCI

Debutant Lungi Ngidi took the key wicket of India captain Virat Kohli as South Africa closed in on victory in the second Test with the tourists reeling at 35 for three on a misbehaving wicket at the close on day four on Tuesday.

 

India are chasing 287 for victory to square the three-match series, but that looks a long way off on a wicket providing extreme variable bounce.

Cheteshwar Pujara (11) and Parthiv Patel (five) will resume on the final day, trying to find a way to score runs against a fired-up home seam attack getting plenty of assistance from the pitch.

Murali Vijay is bowled by Kagiso Rabada

IMAGE: Murali Vijay is bowled by Kagiso Rabada. Photograph: BCCI

Kohli, who scored a brilliant 153 in the first innings, would have been key to India’s plans in the run chase, but he was trapped lbw for five by an excellent delivery from Ngidi that came back into him sharply and kept low.

Ngidi, 21, had earlier bagged the wicket of opener Lokesh Rahul for four with his first delivery of the day, a loosener the batsman carved straight to Keshav Maharaj at point.

Murali Vijay (nine) was the first batsman to fall, bowled by Kagiso Rabada from another ball that kept low.

IMAGE: India's players celebrate the dismissal of Vernon Philander. Photograph: BCCI

India had worked their way back into the Test by bowling South Africa out for 258 in their second innings.

Pacer Mohammed Shami picked up four wickets, while Ishant Sharma bagged three wickets to keep India in the hunt.

IMAGE: Dean Elgar, right, is congratulated by AB de Villiers after completing his half-century. Photograph: BCCI

Starting the day on 90 for two, AB de Villiers (80) and Dean Elgar (61) put on 141 for the third wicket, a potentially match-winning partnership.

But De Villiers was one of three wickets for the excellent Mohammed Shami (4-49) in the morning, followed by Elgar and Quinton de Kock (12).

Ishant Sharma (2-40) and Jasprit Bumrah (3-70) wrapped up the innings, despite a battling 48 from home captain Faf du Plessis.

South Africa had resumed on 173 for five after lunch as Du Plessis and Vernon Philander (26) batted patiently, before the latter lost his patience and attempted a hook off Sharma (2-40) that picked out Murali Vijay at mid-wicket.

Keshav Maharaj (6) became Sharma's second victim in the session when he edged to wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel having failed to get in line to a ball that bounced steeply.

IMAGE: India's players celebrate the dismissal of AB de Villiers. Photograph: BCCI

The slow scoring rate was in contrast to some brisk shot-making in the morning session, despite an excellent spell of bowling from seamer Shami.

AB de Villiers reached 80 before a rising delivery from Shami conjured an edge to Patel.

He had put on 141 for the third wicket with opener Dean Elgar, who rode his luck to a half-century before he found Lokesh Rahul in the deep with a well-timed pull shot off Shami and was gone for 61.

Quinton de Kock (12) looked completely out of sorts and after edging three balls in a row past the slips for four, his luck ran out and he brushed a Shami delivery to Patel.

IMAGE: Mohammed Shami is congratulated by his team mates after taking the wicket of Dean Elgar. Photograph: BCCI

Chasing 287 for a win seems a difficult task.

The previous record chase in Pretoria was 251 for eight by England in 2000, but that was on a fresh wicket after both sides forfeited innings to force a result.

The International Cricket Council also announced on Tuesday that they had fined Kohli 25 percent of his match fee and handed him one demerit point for an incident the previous day.

He was sanctioned for repeatedly complaining to umpire Michael Gough about a damp ball after a rain delay and aggressively throwing the ball to the floor.

Source: REUTERS
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