Cape Town : Swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant’s century helped India set a target of 212 at tea on Day 3 of the third and series-deciding Test against South Africa here at Newlands on Thursday.
The visitors were bowled out for 198, with Marco Jansen taking four wickets, and Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi picking three each.
India captain Virat Kohli, who displayed great resistance in the first session, could not carry the momentum in the second session. Ngidi tempted Kohli (29 off 143) into a drive but he edged and gave a catch to Aiden Markram at second slip, ending the 94-run partnership.
Ngidi bagged two more wickets – Ravichandran Ashwin and Shardul Thakur – in quick succession. While the lone warrior Pant inched closer to his century, he couldn’t find support from the tailenders. Both Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami returned to the pavilion without scoring.
Pant finally achieved the three-digit mark off Jansen as the wicket-keeper batter played one to the leg side. The left-arm fast bowler removed Jasprit Bumrah, leaving Pant stranded on 100 not out.
Earlier, Pant and Kohli helped India reach 130/4 at lunch. India, who were on 57/2, added 73 runs but lost two more wickets in the first session. Things did not start as per India’s plan as Marco Jansen got a wicket on the second ball of the day.
Cheteshwar Pujara (9) was sent back to the pavilion, thanks to a superb one-handed catch from a diving Keegan Petersen at leg-slip.
In the next over, Kagiso Rabada dismissed Ajinkya Rahane cheaply for one. The ball clipped his glove and flew high towards Kyle Verreynne who did his best to get a hand on it but then Dean Elgar took the rebound at first slip.
However, the on-field umpire didn’t give it and Elgar immediately went upstairs. The ultra edge confirmed that the ball had brushed the glove, reducing India to 58/4.
Wicket-keeper batter Pant took on Rabada for a couple of boundaries. He started the over with a pull shot which went over square leg and raced away, and then slapped into the gap at cover point to finish off the over.
Kohli and Pant steadied the visitors and took India past the 100-run mark. The duo brought up their 50-run partnership for the fifth wicket before Pant registered his first half-century against South Africa.