South Africa top-scorer Keegan Petersen praised the quality of India’s bowling after his side fell short of the tourists on the second day of the third Test at Newlands on Wednesday, although his own bowlers were also taking wickets in India’s second innings yesterday.
Jasprit Bumrah took 5-42 as South Africa were bowled out for 210, giving India a first-innings lead of 13 runs, which they stretched to 70 in reaching 57-2 at the close and to 130-4 at lunch yesterday.
The slightly built Petersen, playing in his fifth Test, made 72, but the fragility of the home team’s batting was exposed, with no other batsman scoring more than Temba Bavuma’s 28.
Photo: Reuters
“It’s extremely challenging, the most challenging I have faced in my whole career,” Petersen said. “We have to be focused and on your mark all the time or they will expose you.”
Petersen hit nine fours in his 166-ball innings, but said scoring was never easy.
“There are not many scoring opportunities. When they do give you an opportunity you have to pounce on it, but they haven’t given us much,” he said.
South Africa hit back at the start of the second innings with Kagiso Rabada dismissing Mayank Agarwal (7) and Marco Jansen accounting for K.L. Rahul (10).
Jansen got Cheteshwar Pujara (9) yesterday and Ajinkya Rahane (1) was out to Rabada,
Virat Kohli (28 not out) and Rishabh Pant (51 not out) had taken the visitors’ lead to 143 at lunch.
Petersen said that the pitch was still giving help to the bowlers.
“The ball is nipping around and it is squatting at one end, and the other end it is bouncing a bit,” he said.
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