Ajinkya Rahane rescued India with a gutsy, unbeaten 89, guiding the hosts to 231-7 after off-spinner Dane Piedt made a memorable return to the South Africa Test side on the opening day of the fourth and final Test yesterday.
India were reeling at 66-3 and then at 139-6, but Rahane, often unnoticed in the crowd of flashy strokeplayers around him, featured in two 50-plus stands to help India post the highest total in the low-scoring four-match series.
Ravichandran Ashwin was giving him company on 6 at stumps.
Photo: AP
For South Africa, Piedt claimed four wickets, while paceman Kyle Abbot (3-23) also justified his recall for the final Test against India, who have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead.
Of all the tracks used in the series, the hard 22-yard strip at the Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium offered the least turn, but Piedt conjured up a performance that left many wondering why the 25-year-old was not played before.
Home captain Virat Kohli won the toss and batted on a track that wore cracks, but looked hard.
Morne Morkel and Abbott bowled with discipline, allowing only 14 runs in the first 10 overs, but it was Piedt who drew first blood by dismissing opener Murali Vijay (12).
The spinner trapped Shikhar Dhawan (33) LBW, while Abbott bowled Cheteshwar Pujara (14) in the next over to peg back the hosts.
Kohli (44) and Rahane did not look perturbed though, and boundaries flowed as they negated the bowlers with consummate ease.
The duo had raised 70 runs when Kohli fell to Piedt, sweeping the spinner into the short-leg.
The ball ballooned up after hitting the evading fielder and Dane Vilas sprinted from behind the stumps to take the catch.
Rohit Sharma got a reprieve when Amla dropped him at slip, but the batsman could not add to that scratchy single and hoicked the first ball of the next over from Piedt to Imran Tahir at long-on.
Abbott breached Wriddhiman Saha’s defense at the stroke of tea, but Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja (24) added 59 runs for the seventh wicket to take India close to the 200-run mark.
Abbott dismissed Jadeja for his third wicket.
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