In a dramatic turn of events on Day 3, India faced a resounding defeat against South Africa in the first Test as their batting lineup crumbled, managing only 131 runs in the second innings after the hosts posted a formidable 408 in their initial essay.
The South African bowlers, led by Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burger and Marco Jansen, exploited the conditions at Centurion, making the Indian batters struggle.
Virat Kohli (76) displayed resilience, but the rest of the batting order faltered against the extra bounce and seam movement.
Consequently, South Africa clinched an unassailable 1-0 lead in the two-match series, shattering India's aspirations of securing a Test series victory in the Rainbow Nation after 31 years.
The only potential redemption for India lies in a 1-1 draw if they manage to square the series during the New Year's Test in Cape Town.
Key Moments of India's Collapse:
1. Rohit Sharma (0): Rohit fell victim to a perfect delivery by Kagiso Rabada.
The skipper closed the bat face, and the ball deviated enough to peg back his off-stump. Rohit departed without scoring a run. India, one down for five.
2. Yashasvi Jaiswal (5): Nandre Burger once again outsmarted Jaiswal in this game. Catching the southpaw off guard with extra bounce, Jaiswal, unable to react in time, saw the ball deflecting off his glove to Wicket-keeper Kyle Verreynne. India found themselves two down and under pressure at the Centurion.
3. Shubman Gill (26): Led a brief fightback, but was bowled by Marco Jansen. Gill looked to play the cut shot, but he completely misread the length and made a mess of his middle stump. Gill's wicket added to India's woes, leaving them at 62-3 at tea.
4. Shreyas Iyer (6): Jansen beat Iyer and rattled his off stump. South Africa had a fourth wicket.
5. K L Rahul (4) and Ravichandran Ashwin (0): Both fell victim to Nandre Burger.
Rahul was lured into playing a wide cover drive, and he was caught at the second slip by Aiden Markram, who had dropped Jaiswal off the very first delivery of the innings.
Ashwin was the new batter, and he went after a short-of-a-length delivery, only to find David Bedingham at gully. It was a maiden over with two wickets, and Burger was on a hat-trick when he came on for the next over.
6. Shardul Thakur (2): Having been dropped off the last ball of the previous over, Thakur's luck ran out two deliveries later.
A sharp bounce off a good length, and Thakur edged it straight to David Bedingham at gully. He thus became Rabada's seventh wicket.
7. Jasprit Bumrah (0): Virat Kohli, looking to keep the strike and keep the scoreboard ticking, looked for two, but Jasprit Bumrah was unable to get back in time. He was run out at the non-striker's end without scoring, adding to India's misery as wickets continued to fall.
8. Mohammed Siraj (4): A sharp bouncer from round the wicket surprised Siraj. He was hit on the helmet, and South Africa reviewed for a caught behind. An excellent decision, as the UltraEdge showed a spike off the tip of his thumb.
9. Virat Kohli (76): The last man standing! Marco Jansen delivered to Virat Kohli, who aimed to clear long-on, but Kagiso Rabada took a diving stunner, concluding South Africa's comprehensive Boxing Day victory over India.
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